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Making  snowshoes. 


RED    CLOUD, 

THE    SOLITARY    SIOUX. 


BY 

LIEUT.-COLONEL   BUTLER,   C.B. 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  GREAT  LONE  LAND,"  "THE  WILD  NORTH  LAND," 
ETC.,  ETC 


"  Like  a  wind,  that  shrills 
All  eight  in  a  waste  land,  where  no  one  comes, 
Or  hath  come,  since  the  making  of  the  world." 

Tennyson, 


BOSTON: 

ROBERTS     BROTHERS. 

1882. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

PAGB 

Our  home  in  Glencar — A  glimpse  at  the  outside  world — My 
parents — My  schoolmasters— Donogh — Cooma-sa-harn 
— The  eagle's  nest — "The  eagle  is  coming  back  to  the 
nest " — Alone  in  the  world — I  start  for  the  Great  Prairie 
— Good-bye  to  Glencar I 

CHAPTER   II. 

Sunset  in  the  wilds— Our  first  camp— Outlooks — The  soli- 
tary Sioux — Losses — The  Sioux  again — A  new  departure 
— The  cache  at  the  Souri — The  story  of  Red  Cloud — 
The  red  man's  offer 28 

CHAPTER   III. 

To  the  West — Wapiti  in  sight — A  stalk — A  grand  run — 
The  sand-hills  in  sight — The  finish — A  noble  beast — A 
gorgeous  sunset — A  vast  landscape — The  Hills  of  Life 
and  Death 52 

CHAPTER   IV. 

We  reach  the  hills  of  the  Wolverine— Something  moves  far 
out  upon  the  plains — The  wounded  Cree — His  story— 


rvi608397 


Contents. 


PAGB 

Adventure  with  a  grizzly  bear — Left  alone— A  long  crawl 
for  life— Hunger,  thirst,  and  travail — A  grizzly  again — 
"  The  Great  Spirit,  like  an  eagle,  looks  down  upon  the 
prairie" — Saved — Watched 67 

CHAPTER  v. 

An  Assineboine  camp — The  trader  McDermott — The  chief 
"  Wolverine  " — Fire-water  and  finesse — The  Assineboine 
war-party — A  chance  of  a  Cree  scalp — The  trader  hears 
a  well-known  name — A  big  bid  for  murder,  two  hundred 
skins ! 82 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Sioux  forecasts  our  course — On  the  watch — Directions 
— We  separate — Red  Cloud  is  seen  far  out  on  the  plains 
— Rival  tactics— Scent  versus  sight — A  captured  scout — 
The  edge  of  the  hills  again — The  signal  fire     .        .        •    97 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  watched  one  halts— A  light  to  the  north-east— The 
Stonies  -find  their  mistake— Distant  thunder — A  light  in 
the  dark — The  fire  wind — Saiive  qui  pact — How  the  fire 
was  lighted — We  ride  across  the  fire  field-— Enemies  in 
sight— A  dilemma — Between  friend  and  foe — The  scout 
throws  in  his  lot  with  us — We  ride  to  the  rescue      .        .111 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  fight — The  Sioux  and  the  swamp — The  trader's 
triumph— Red  Cloud  fights  on  foot — The  trader  finds  he 
has  other  foes  to  reckon  with — The  Assineboine  draws  a 
straight  arrow — The  trader's  flight — Our  losses  and  gains 
— Winter  supplies — Our  party  is  completed — "  All's  well 
that  ends  well."         , 129 


Contents.  vii 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PAGB 

We  again  go  West — Hiding  the  trail — Red  and  white  for 
once  in  harmony — Peace  and  plenty — An  autumn  holiday 
— We  select  a  winter's  camp — The  Forks — Hut-building 
— Our  food  supply — The  autumn  hunt — The  Great 
Prairie — Home  thoughts — Indian  instincts — The  Lake  of 
the  Winds— Buffalo— Good  meat— A  long  stalk— The 
monarch  of  the  waste — A  stampede — Wolves — The  red 
man's  tobacco 144 

CHAPTER  X. 
Winter — Wolves — A  night's  trapping — A  retreat — In  the 
teeth  of  the  north  wind — The  carcajou — A  miss  and  a 
hit — News  of  Indians  —Danger  ahead — A  friendly  storm 
— The  hut  again 177 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Winter  comfort— Snowshoe-making— Snow  and  storm— The 
moose  woods— A  night  camp — Memories — A  midnight 
visitor — Maskeypeton  the  Iroquois — Danger — A  moose 
hunt — Indian  stalking — The  red  man's  happy  hunting- 
grounds — Plans — Raft-building 191. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  winter  draws  to  an  end— A  keen  look-out — Signs — The 
break-up  of  the  rivers — An  ice  block — The  evening  ap- 
proaches— A  noiseless  arrow — The  ice  still  fast — The  ice 
floats — The  war-cry  of  assault— A  parley— We  embark  on 
the  rafts — The  hut  in  flames — On  shore  again — Freedom 
— Winter  gone 212 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Horses  wanted — New  plans — We  start  south — The  Prairie 
in  Spring — No  buffalo  insight — Starvation — A  last  resort 
— Buffalo  at  last— We  fall  in  with  Blood  Indians — The 
camp — Tashota — A  trade — Rumours  of  war — We  depart 
from  the  Blood  camp 228 


Contents. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

PAGE 

On  the  trail — A  pursuit — The  mark  is  overshot — A  night 
march — Morning — The  curtain  rises — We  are  prisoners — 
Blackfeet— Penoquam — The  Far-Off  Dawn — His  history 
— His  medicine  robe — Interrogations — New  arrivals — The 
trader  again 247 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  council  of  the  nation — The  wager  of  battle — Signs  of 
friendship— A  private  interview — A  fair  field  and  no 
favour — The  trader  on  the  scene — I  leave  the  camp — I 
camp  alone — The  rock  on  the  hill — The  skulking  figure — 
Preparations  for  the  start — The  race  for  life — The  snake 
in  the  grass — A  desperate  strait — The  odds  are  made 
even — Hand  to  hand— A  last  chance — Out  of  range         .  260 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Revulsion — Home  again — New  plans — We  depart  for  the 
mountains — The  Hand  hills— The  great  range — Home 
memories — A  murderous  volley — Donogh  sees  "the 
land  beyond  the  grave'' — Vain  regrets — We  enter  the 
mountains— The  island — A  lonely  grave — The  Indian's 
home 279 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Signs  of  trouble — Reconnoitring — Precautions — We  retire 
into  the  island — Daylight — The  enemy  shows  himself— A 
search — He  prepares  to  attack  the  island — A  midnight 
storm — The  raft — "  Aim  low,  and  fire  fast" — In  the  whirl  of 
waters— On  the  lip  of  the  fall — The  end  of  crime     .        .297 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  beginning  of  the  end — Deeper  into  the  mountains — 
The  western  slope — On  the  edge  of  the  snow — The  golden 
valley— It  is  all  mine — Night  thoughts — Last  words — I 
see  him  no  more 315 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Sergeant  MacMahon 7 

The  rope  was  again  within  my  grasp 21 

The  solitary  Sioux 33 

At  last  the  Sioux  raised  his  head  and  spoke         .         .         .44 

The  Sioux  was  now  almost  at  the  flank  of  the  wapiti  .  .  6;^ 
His  eyes  all  at  once  became  fixed   upon  one  object  set 

within  the  mid-distance 68 

A  brisk  trade  is  being  carried  on 83 

Wa'Lching  an  opportunity,  the  trader  addressed  the  leader 

of  the  band 94 

Both  dog  and  man  were  rolling  together  upon  the  ground  .  104 

Firing  the  prairie  grass 120 

The  white  man  was  the  trader  McDermott  .        .        .125 

McDermott  pulled  up  his  horse    , 135 

It  was  a  curious  group  this,  that  now  held  its  course  into 

the  western  wilds 148 


List  of  Illustrations. 


PAGE 

We  both  sprang  to  our  feet,  and  ran  with  all  speed  towards 

the  animals i68 

Day  after  day  the   Sioux,  with  myself,   or  the  scout,  or 

Donogh,  set  out  on  a  hunt  for  venison  ....  192 

Making  snowshoes 193 

Strange  footprints 214 

Ten  minutes  later  we  rode  slowly  from  the  camp  .  .  246 
The  tall  and  majestic  figure  of  the  Far- Off  Dawn  rose  in 

the  centre 261 

I  struck  the  iron  butt  heavily  down  upon  the  trader's  head  277 
One  brawny  savage  had  reached  the  spot  where  Donogh 

was  lying 288 

"Aim  low,  and  fire  fast " 309 

"Forbear,"  I  cried,  striking  up  the  levelled  barrel  .  .  313 
•'  Look  ! "  said  Red   Cloud,  "  there  is  the  yellow  dust  for 

which  the  white  man  fights,  and  robs,  and  kills  "  .        ,  320 


RED     CLOUD, 

THE  SOLITARY  SIOUX. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Our  home  in  Glen  car — A  glimpse  at  the  outside  world — My 
parents — Myschoohnasters — Donogh — Cooma-sa-harn — The 
eagle's  nest—"  The  eagle  is  coming  back  to  the  nest  " — Alone 
in  the  world — I  start  for  the  Great  Prairie — Good-bye  to 
Glencar, 

Far  back  as  I  can  remember  anything  I  can  remember  our 
cottage  in  Glencar,  It  was  a  small  thatched  house,  with 
plenty  of  June  roses  and  white  jessamine  trailing  over  two 
sides  of  it,  through  wooden  trellis-work.  The  ground  rose 
steeply  behind  the  house,  until  the  trees  that  covered  it  gave 
place  to  scattered  clumps  of  holly  bushes,  which  finally 
merged  into  open  mountain,  heather-covered,  and  sprinkled 
here  and  there  with  dwarf  furze  bushes.  In  front  of  the 
cottage  the  little  lawn  sloped  downwards  to  a  stream,  the 


Red  Cloud. 


bed  of  which  was  strewn  with  great  boulders  of  rock,  which 
were  bare  and  dry  in  summer,  but  in  winter  scarcely  showed 
over  the  surface.  Between  the  big  rocks  there  were  pools 
and  shallows,  in  which  trout  rose  briskly  at  the  midges  in 
the  early  summer  evenings.  Whenever  I  think  of  that  cot- 
tage home  now,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  always  sunshine  there. 
There  must  have  been  dark  days,  and  wet  ones,  too,  but  .1 
can't  call  them  to  mind.  There  was  a  large  flat  rock  in  the 
middle  of  the  lawn  half  way  down  to  the  stream  ;  one  end 
of  this  rock  was  imbedded  in  the  earth,  the  other  leant  out 
from  the  ground,  giving  shelter  underneath.  The  only  dark 
thing  I  can  remember  about  the  whole  place  was  that 
hollow  under  the  big  stone.  I  used  to  sit  in  there  on  the 
very  hot  days,  looking  out  across  the  stream  upon  the  one 
road  that  led  from  the  outer  world  into  Glencar.  When  the 
weather  was  not  too  warm  I  lay  on  the  top  of  the  rock, 
looking  at  the  same  view.  The  road  came  into  the  glen 
over  a  hill  that  was  four  miles  distant  from  our  cottage  ;  you 
could  see  the  white  streak  crossing  the  crest  of  ridge,  flanked 
on  each  side  by  the  dark  heather  mountain.  You  caught 
sight  of  the  road  again  as  it  came  down  the  hillside,  and 
here  and  there  at  turns,  as-it  wound  along  the  valley  to  the 
old  five-arched  bridge  over  the  Carragh  river,  and  then 
disappeared  around  the  hill  on  which  our  cottage  stood. 
When  in  the  summer  days  I  used  to  lie  on  the  rock,  or 
beneath  its  shadows,  I  was  always  thinking  of  the  country 


A  glimpse  at  the  outside  world. 


that  lay  beyond  the  boundary  ridge,  the  land  to  which  the 
white  road  led  when  it  dipped  down  behind  the  hill :  that 
was  the  outside  world  to  me,  the  glen  was  the  inside  one. 
As  I  grew  older  I  came  to  know  more  of  the  outside  world ; 
I  was  able  to  climb  higher  up  the  steep  hill  behind  the 
house,  to  get  beyond  the  holly  bushes  out  into  the  heather, 
and  at  last  one  day  I  reached  the  mountain-top  itself.  That 
was  a  great  event  in  my  life.  It  took  me  a  long  while  to  get 
up ;  the  last  bit  was  very  steep ;  I  had  to  sit  down  often 
amid  the  rocks  and  heather  for  want  of  breath.  At  last  I 
gained  the  summit,  and  sank  down  quite  exhausted  on  an 
old  weather-beaten  flat  rock  ;  I  was  just  ten  years  old  that 
day.  Thirty  years  have  gone  by  since  then.  I  have  climbed 
many  a  lofty  mountain,  lain  down  for  weeks  alone  in  forests 
and  on  prairies,  but  never  have  I  felt  so  proudly  conscious 
of  success  as  1  did  that  day.  It  was  my  first  view  of  the 
outside  world.  How  vast  it  seemed  to  me.  The  glen,  my 
world,  lay  below,  winding  away  amid  the  hills.  All  the 
streams,  all  the  lakes,  were  unfolded  to  my  sight,  and  out 
beyond  the  boundary  ridge  was  the  great  open  country. 
That  was  on  one  side — the  glen  side  ;  but  as  I  turned  round 
to  look  beyond  the  mountain  I  had  come  up,  I  saw  a  sight 
that  filled  me  with  utter  astonishment.  Below  me  on  that 
side  there  lay  another  glen,  smaller  than  ours ;  then  the  hill 
rose  again,  but  not  to  the  height  of  the  ridge  on  which  I 
stood;  and  then,  beyond  the  hill,  there  spread  a  great,  vast 


4  Red  Cloud, 


waste  of  blue  water — out — out,  until  I  could  see  no  more, 
where  the  sky  came  down  upon  it — the  end  of  the  world. 
It  was  the  sea  ! 

It  was  getting  dark  when  I  reached  home  that  day.  I 
went  straight  to  my  mother.  "  Mother,"  I  said,  '•  I  have 
been  to  the  top  of  Coolrue,  and  have  seen  the  end  of  the 
world."  I  was  fearfully  tired  j  I  had  fallen  over  rocks 
coming  down,  and  was  bruised  and  torn ;  but  what  did  it 
matter  ? 

From  that  day  forth  the  glen  seemed  a  small  place  to  mi, 
and  my  mind  was  ever  at  work  shaping  plans  for  the  future. 
About  this  time  I  began  to  read  well.  There  were  many 
old  books  in  our  cottage — books  of  travel  and  adventure, 
books  of  history,  and  one  large  old  atlas  that  had  maps  of 
every  country  in  the  world  in  it,  and  in  the  corner  of  each 
map  there  was  a  picture  of  the  people  of  the  land,  or  of 
some  wonderful  mountain,  or  waterfall  in  it. 

I  read  all  these  books  in  the  long  winter  evenmgs  ;  and 
many  a  time  I  sat  poring  over  the  maps,  moving  my  finger 
up  a  long  waving  line  of  river,  and  travelling  in  fancy  from 
island  to  island  in  the  ocean. 

And  now  I  must  say  something  about  the  inmates  of  our 
home.  They  were  few.  There  was  my  mother,  one  old  ser- 
vant woman,  and  an  old  man  who  kept  the  garden  tilled, 
drove  in  the  cow  at  nightfall,  and  took  care  of  everything. 
Ln  tii-th  there  wasn't  much  to  be  taken  care  of.     We  were 


My  pcwetits. 


very  poor,  and  we  were  all  the  poorer  because  we  had  once 
been  rich— at  least  my  mother  had  been.  My  father  had  died 
before  I  could  remember  him.  His  picture  hung  over  the 
fireplace  in  our  little  parlour  ;  and  I  can  almost  say  that  I  do 
remember  him,  because  the  picture  is  confused  in  my  mind 
with  the  reality,  and  I  have  a  dim  recollection  of  a  man, 
tall,  pale,  and  dark  haired ;  but  I  can't  add  to  it  voice  or 
action  ;  it  is  only  a  vague  kind  of  shadow.  I  was  four  years 
old  when  he  died. 

When  I  was  seven  years  old  my  mother  began  to  tell  me 
about  him.  She  used  to  sit  often  in  the  winter  evenings 
looking  at  his  picture  ;  and  as  I  sat  at  her  feet,  and  she  spoke 
of  the  old  times,  and  how  brave  and  honourable  he  was,  I 
remember  her  voice  used  to  tremble,  and  sometimes  she 
would  stop  altogether. 

As  I  grew  older  I  learned  more  about  him.  I  heard  how 
we  had  first  come  to  Glencar.  It  had  been  a  favourite  spot 
with  my  father  in  his  early  days,  and  whenever  he  could  get 
leave  of  absence  he  used  to  come  to  it,  for  the  lakes  held 
plenty  of  trout,  and  the  mountains  had  snipe,  woodcock,  and 
grouse  upon  them.  After  my  father's  marriage  he  had  built 
the  cottage.  My  mother  was  as  fond  of  the  glen  as  he  was, 
and  they  used  to  come  here  for  two  or  three  months  every 
year.  When  they  had  been  three  years  married  my  father's 
regiment  was  ordered  to  India.  My  mother  went  too.  I 
was  only  two  years  old  at  the  time.    When  we  reached  India 


Red  Cloud. 


the  regiment  was  ordered  up  country,  for  war  had  broken 
out.  At  the  battle  of  Moodkee  ray  father  was  severely 
wounded.  After  a  while  he  was  able  to  be  moved  down  to 
the  coast,  where  my  mother  had  remained  when  thq  regi- 
ment went  on  service.  From  the  coast  he  was  invalided  to 
England.  The  voyage  home  was  a  long  one.  We  arrived 
in  England  in  the  end  of  summer. 

The  autumn  and  winter  came.  The  cold  told  severely 
upon  my  father's  weakened  state,  and  when  spring  arrived 
it  was  evident  he  had  but  a  short  time  to  live.  He  wished 
to  see  Glencar  again.  With  much  difficulty  he  was  brought 
to  the  cottage,  to  die. 

In  the  upper  end  of  the  glen  there  was  a  wild  secluded 
lake  called  Lough  Cluen.  A  solitary  island  stood  under  the 
shadow  of  a  tall  mountain  wall  which  overhangs  the  lake  on 
one  side.  The  island  is  little  more  than  a  rock,  with  yew- 
trees  and  ivy  growing  over  it.  A  ruined  church,  half  hidden 
in  the  trees,  stood  on  this  rock.  It  was  my  father's  grave. 
He  had  wished  to  be  buried  in  this  lonely  island,  and  his 
wish  was  carried  out. 

The  little  cottage,  a  few  acres  of  land,  the  rugged  moun- 
tain and  the  stream — now  formed,  with  my  mother's  scanty 
pension,  all  our  worldly  possessions.  Here,  then,  we  took 
up  our  residence,  and  here  I  grew  up,  as  I  have  already 
described— the  glen  my  world ;  the  mountain,  lake,  and 
stream  my  daily  playground. 


Sergeant  MacMnhon. 


My  scJioolmastcrs. 


About  a  mile  from  our  cottage  there  lived  an  old  pen- 
sioner, who,  forty  years  earlier,  had  followed  Wellington 
from  the  Tagus  to  Toulouse.  He  had  served  his  full  term 
of  twenty-one  years,  and  being  at  the  time  of  his  discharge 
a  staff-sergeant,  his  pension  was  sufficient  to  secure  him  a 
comfortable-home  for  the  rest  of  his  days.  He  had  a  few 
acres  of  land  around  his  cottage.  He  was  the  best  angler 
in  the  glen.  He  was  my  earliest  friend  and  guide  with  rod 
and  gun  on  river,  lake,  and  mountain  side. 

Sergeant  MacMahon,  formerly  of  her  Majesty's  40th  Regi- 
ment, was,  when  I  knew  him,  a  man  who  had  passed  his 
sixtieth  year.  Yet  time,  despite  a  score  years  of  fighting  and 
exposure,  had  dealt  lightly  with  the  old  soldier,  who  still  stood 
as  straight  as  the  ramrod  he  had  so  often  driven  home  upon 
the  bullet  of  his  firelock.  From  him  I  got  my  first  lessons 
in  other  thmgs  besides  fishing  and  shooting.  He  taught 
me  the  "  extension  motions,"  the  "  balance  step  without 
gaining  ground,"  the  manual  and  platoon  exercises,  and  the 
'sword  exercise.  He  also  showed  me  the  method  ot  attack 
and  defence  with  the  bayonet. 

He  had  the  battles  of  the  Peninsula  by  heart,  and  day  after 
day  did  he  pour  forth  his  descriptions  of  how  Busaco  was 
won,  and  how  Fuentes  d'Onore  had  been  decided,  and  how 
Lord  Wellington  had  outmarched  "  Sowlt,"  as  he  used  to 
call  liim,  at  Pampeluna,  or  had  out-manoeuvred  IMarmont  at 
Torres   Vedras.      His   personal   adventures   were   told  in 


Red  Cloud. 


another  style.  He  had  stories  of  bivouac — "  bivoocing  "  he 
used  to  call  it — of  nights  on  outlying  picquet,  of  escapes 
when  patrolling,  and  of  incidents  in  action,  that  he  loved  to 
recount  to  me  as  we  sat  by  the  river  side  waiting  for  a 
cloud  to  cross  the  sun  before  we  tried  a  cast  of  flies  over  some 
favourite  stream. 

Once  every  quarter  he  set  off  in  his  mule-cart  for 
Killarney  to  draw  his  pension.  On  these  occasions  I  used 
to  notice  that  his  voice  on  his  return  sounded  a  Httle  thick, 
and  his  face  generally  appeared  flushed.  But  the  next  day 
all  would  be  the  same  as  usual.  At  the  time  I  fancied  that 
the  exertion  of  the  journey  had  been  too  much  for  him,  or 
that  the  excitement  of  meeting  some  old  comrades  (there 
were  three  other  Peninsula  heroes  in  the  town)  had  over- 
come him.  He  had  been  a  great  ally  of  my  poor  father's 
in  earlier  days,  and  to  my  mother  he  was  equally  attached. 
With  all  his  stories  of  wars  and  fighting  his  heart  was  true 
and  gentle.  He  was  fond  of  all  animals,  knew  the  notes 
of  every  bird,  and  could  tell  the  names  of  the  trees  in  the 
wood,  or  the  wild  flowers  by  the  river  side.  He  was  my 
outdoor  schoolmaster.  I  learned  from  him  many  a  pleasant 
lesson,  and  many  a  useful  one  too. 

But  I  had  another  schoolmaster  at  this  time.  A  mile 
down  the  glen  from  our  cottage  stood  the  priest's  house, 
next  to  our  own  cabin-cottage  the  most  comfortable 
residence  in  Glencar.     In  summer  the  old  man  was  usually 


My  schoolmasters. 


to  be  found  in  his  garden,  in  winter  in  his  Httle  parlour, 
always  buried  in  some  old  volume  from  his  well-stored 
shelves. 

His  had  been  a  curious  career.  His  early  student  days 
had  been  passed  in  an  old  French  city.  In  middle  age  he 
had  been  a  missionary  in  the  East,  and  at  last  he  had  taken 
charge  of  the  wild  district  of  Glencar,  and  settled  down  to 
the  simple  life  of  parish  priest.  Here  he  lived  in  the 
memory  of  his  past  life.  Nearly  half  a  century  had  gone 
since  last  his  eyes  had  rested  on  the  vine-clad  slopes  of  the 
Loire,  but  it  was  ever  an  easy  task  to  him  to  fling  back  his 
thoughts  across  that  gulf  of  time,  and  to  recall  the  great 
names  that  had  risen  in  the  sunrise  of  the  century,  and 
flashed  such  a  glory  over  Europe  that  the  lustre  of  succeed- 
ing time  has  shone  faint  and  dim  in  contrast.  He  had 
seen  the  great  emperor  review  his  guards  in  the  courtyard 
of  the  Tuileries,  and  had  looked  upon  a  group  of  horsemen 
that  had  in  it  Murat,  Ney,  Soult,  Lannes,  and  Massena. 
How  he  used  to  revel  in  such  memories  !  and  what  point 
such  experience  lent  to  the  theme  !  He  never  tired  talking 
of  the  great  campaigns  of  the  Consulate  and  Empire.  I 
followed  him  in  these  reminiscences  with  rapt  eagerness ; 
the  intensity  of  my  interest  gave  increased  ardour  to  his 
narrative,  and  many  a  winter's  night  sped  rapidly  while  the 
old  man,  seated  before  his  turf  fire,  rambled  on  from  battle- 
field to  battle-field,  now  describing  to  me  the   wonderful 


10  Red  Cloud. 


strategy  of  some  early  campaign  in  Italy,  now  carrying  my 
mind  into  the  snows  of  Russia,  and  again  taking  me  back 
into  the  plains  of  France,  to  that  last  and  most  brilliant  effort 
of  warlike  genius,  the  campaign  of  1 8 1 4. 

At  such  times,  the  storm  among  the  mountains  would 
sometimes  lend  its  roar  in  fitting  accompaniment  to  the 
old  man's  story,  and  then  the  scene  would  change  to  my 
mind's  eye  as  I  listened.  The  little  parlour  would  fade 
away,  the  firelight  became  a  bivouac,  and  I  saw  in  the 
grim  outside  darkness  of  the  glen  figures  dimly  moving ;  the 
squadrons  charged  ;  the  cannon  rumbled  by;  and  the  pine- 
tops  swaying  in  the  storm,  were  the  bearskin  caps  of  the 
old  Guard,  looming  above  smoke  and  fire  ! 

Such  were' my  schoolmasters;  such  the  lessons  they 
taught  me. 

The  years  passed  quickly  away.  Notwithstanding  my 
strong  love  of  outdoor  life,  I  devoted  a  good  many  hours 
every  day  to  reading  and  study,  and  by  the  time  I  was 
fifteen  years  of  age  I  had  contrived  to  master  a  curious 
amount  of  general  knowledge,  particularly  of  history  and 
geography,  such  as  does  not  usually  fall  to  the  lot  of  boys 
of  that  age.  I  had  a  slight  knowledge  of  Latin,  was  toler- 
ably well  acquainted  with  French,  knew  the  habits,  customs, 
and  limits  01  every  nation  and  tribe  under  the  sun,  and 
could  travel  the  globe  in  fancy  with  few  errors  of  time,  dis- 
tance, and  position. 


Donogh.  1 1 


One  companion  I  had  in  all  these  years  who  has  not  yet 
been  mentioned— poor  Donogh  Driscoll,  z.  wild  and  ragged 
boy,  two  years  my  junior. 

In  every  adventure,  in  every  expedition  among  the  hills, 
Donogh  was  my  attendant.  He  it  was  who  used  to  wade 
into  the  reeds  of  Meelagh  river  to  catch  gudgeon  for  the 
baits  for  my  night-lines  in  the  Carragh ;  he  carried  my  bag, 
later  on,  when  my  shooting  time  came ;  he  marked  with 
clear  eye  the  long  flight  of  the  grouse  pack  down  the  steep 
slope  of  Coolrue  ;  he  brought  me  tidings  of  wild  duck  feed- 
ing on  the  pools  and  ponds  amid  the  hills ;  he  knew  the 
coming  of  the  wild  geese  to  the  lonely  waste  that  lay  beyond 
Lough  Acoose ;  he  would  watch  the  pools  m  the  Carragh 
river,  and  knew  to  a  foot  where  the  salmon  lay.  Faithful 
companion  through  all  my  boyish  sports  and  pastimes,  he 
shared  too  with  me  my  dreams  ot  enterprise,  my  hopes  o' 
adventure  in  the  big  outside  world.  Often  as  we  sat  on 
some  rock  high  up  on  the  heather-covered  side  of  Seefin, 
looking  out  over  the  vast  waste  of  ocean,  he  would  wonder 
what  it  was  like  over  there  "  beyant  the  beyant." 

"  You  wont  lave  me  here  alone  by  myself,  when  you  go 
away,  sir  ?  "  he  used  to  say  to  me.  "  It's  lonely  I'd  be  thin 
enturely." 

*'  You'd  have  the  fishing  and  shooting,  Donogh,"  I  would 
reply.  "  V'ou'd  have  the  hares  and  the  salmon  all  to  your- 
self when  1  was  gone." 


12  Red  Cloud, 


"  What  good  would  they  be  to  me,  ave  you  wasn't  here 
with  them  ?  "  he'd  answer.  *'  Sure  the  duck  in  November 
above  in  Cluen,  and  the  salmon  in  'Coose  in  April,  and  the 
grouse  here  on  Seefin  in  August,  would  only  remimber  me 
of  the  ould  days  when  we  hunted  thim  together." 

I  used  at  such  times  to  promise  him  that  whenever  I 
did  set  out  on  my  travels  I  would  take  him  with  me  ;  and 
indeed,  in  all  my  plans  for  the  future  his  companionship  was 
always  reckoned  upon. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  glen,  a  narrow  pass,  or  gap 
between  two  mountains,  led  out  upon  a  wild  and  lonely  lake, 
around  the  sides  of  which  the  mountains  rose  in  a  gloomy 
precipice  of  rock  for  many  hundreds  of  feet. 

Cooma-sa-harn,  the  name  of  the  tarn  that  lay  thus  en- 
compassed by  cliffs,  was  a  place  that  in  my  earliest  wander- 
ings filled  me  with  feelings  of  awe  and  wonder.  Strange 
echoes  haunted  it.  Stones  loosened  from  the  impending 
cliffs  rolled  down  into  the  lake  with  reverberating  thunder, 
and  their  sullen  splash  into  the  dark  water  was  heard  repeated 
for  many  seconds  around  the  encircling  walls.  On  one  side 
only  was  the  margin  of  the  lake  approachable  on  level 
ground.  Here  loose  stones  and  shingle,  strewn  together, 
formed  a  little  beach,  upon  which  the  sullen  waters  broke 
in  mimic  waves ;  and  here,  too,  the  outflow  of  the  lake 
escaped  to  descend  the  mountain  side,  and  finally  add  its 
tribute  to  the  many  feeders  of  the  Carragh  river. 


Cooma-sa-harn.  J3 

I  was  about  twelve  years  of  age  when  I  first  extended 
my  wanderings  to  this  lonely  spot.  Later  on,  Donogh  and 
I  made  frequent  expeditions  to  it  Its  waters  held  no  fish, 
and  its  shores  rose  too  steep  and  high  for  game.  But  for  all 
these  deficiencies,  Cooma-sa-harn  held  one  wonder  that  suf- 
ficed to  atone  for  every  other  shortcoming,  and  to  make  it 
a  place  of  unceasing  interest  to  us.  It  had  an  eagle's  nest. 
There,  600  feet  over  the  lake,  in  a  smooth  piece  of  solid 
rock,  was  a  shelf  or  crevice,  and  in  that  hollow  a  golden 
eagle  had  built  his  nest  year  after  year.  From  the  little 
beach  already  mentioned  we  could  see  the  birds  at  their 
work.  From  the  top  of  the  encircling  cliffs  we  could  look 
down  and  across  at  them  too  ;  but  the  distance  in  either  case 
was  great,  and  do  what  we  would  to  obtain  a  closer  view, 
we  were  always  baffled  by  the  precipitous  nature  of  the 
mountain.  We  tried  the  mountain  immediately  above  the 
nest,  but  could  see  nothing  whatever  of  the  smooth  rock. 
We  worked  our  way  along  the  edge  of  the  water,  by  the 
foot  of  the  precipice,  but  were  again  baffled  in  the  attempt. 
Projecting  rocks  hid  the  whole  side  of  the  cliff.  We  were 
fairly  puzzled. 

Many  an  hour  we  spent  looking  up  from  the  shore  at  the 
coveted  shelf,  which  it  seemed  we  were  never  likely  to  learn 
more  about.  The  eagles  seemed  to  know  our  thoughts,  for 
they  frequently  soared  and  screamed  high  above  our  heads, 
as  though  they  rejoiced  in  our  discomfiture.     It  was  not 


14  Red  Cloud. 


alone  in  the  spring  and  summer  that  we  were  reminded  of 
our  enemies  thus  perched  on  their  inaccessible  fortress.  In 
the  last  hour  of  daylight  of  winter  evenings  a  solitary  speck 
over  the  valley  would  often  be  seen  sailing  downwards 
through. space.  It  was  the  golden  eagle  going  home  to  his 
ledge  at  Cooma-sa-harn. 

It  would  be  idle  to  deny  that  we  both  felt  keenly  our 
inability  to  get  to  this  eagle's  nest.  During  four  years  we  had 
looked  across  the  dark  waters,  had  watched  the  old  birds 
flying  in  and  out,  had  seen  the  young  ones  sitting  on  the 
ledge,  and  had  listened  to  their  screams  as  their  mother 
came  down  to  them  with  a  prey  from  the  surrounding 
hills.  There  was  in  our  cottage  an  old  telescope  that  had 
belonged  to  my  father  in  his  early  days.  This  I  brought 
out  one  day,  and  looking  tkrough  it,  with  elbows  resting 
upon  knees,  and  glass  directed  upon  the  shelf  of  rock,  I 
could  discern  plainly  enough  the  inmates  of  the  rough  nest; 
but  all  this  only  made  more  tantalizing  our  helplessness  to 
scale  the  rock,  or  to  descend  from  above  to  the  projecting 
ledge.  The  day  on  which  I  brought  out  the  telescope  to 
make  a  closer  survey  of  the  spot,  was  bright  with  sunshine. 
As  the  hours  grew  later  the  sun  moving  towards  the  west, 
cast  its  light  full  upon  the  face  of  the  nest,  which  had 
before  been  in  shadow.  The  inequalities  of  the  surface, 
and  the  formation  of  the  cliffs  around  the  large  flat  rock, 
became   much   more   apparent  than  they  had   ever   been 


The  eagle's  nest.  1 5 

before  to  me.  Among  other  things,  I  observed  that 
the  ledge  in  which  the  nest  was  made  was  continued 
in  a  shallowed  state  along  the  face  of  the  cliff  until  it 
touched  the  end  at  one  side.  I  noticed  also  that  on  the 
top  of  the  smooth-faced  rock  there  was  a  ridge,  or  kind  of 
natural  parapet,  and  that  this  ridge  was  connected  with  a 
deep  perpendicular  cleft,  or  chimney,  which  opened  at 
top  upon  the  accessible  part  of  the  mountain.  Scanning 
with  the  utmost  attentiveness  all  these  places,  I  began  to 
see  what  I  thought  might  prove  a  practicable  line  of 
approach  to  the  much-desired  nest.  That  it  was  possible 
to  reach  the  top  of  the  smooth-faced  rock  by  means  of  the 
chimney  shaft  appeared  tolerably  clear,  but  this  top  ridge 
or  parapet  already  mentioned,  was  fully  forty  feet  above  the 
ledge  on  which  the  nest  stood. 

By  the  time  I  had  fully  investigated  all  these  details,  so 
far  as  they  could  be  examined  by  means  of  the  telescope, 
the  face  of  the  cliff  had  become  again  involved  in  shadow, 
and  it  was  time  to  turn  our  faces  homewards  for  the  even- 
ing ;  but  enough  had  been  discovered  to  give  us  food  for 
conversation  that  night,  and  to  raise  high  hopes  that  our 
efforts  to  reach  the  nest  might  yet  prove  successful. 

We  started  early  next  morning  for  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain ridge  which  looked  down  upon  Cooma-sa-harn.  On 
the  previous  evening  I  had  taken  the  precaution  of  fixing 
the  position  of  the  top  of  the  chimney,  by  getting  it  in  line 


i6  Red  Cloud. 


with  two  large  boulders — one  on  the  beach  by  the  lake,  the 
other  some  distance  back  from  the  shore.  Arrived  at  the 
upper  edge  of  the  encircling  basin  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
bringing  the  two  boulders,  now  at  the  further  side  from  us, 
in  line  with  each  other,  and  then  at  the  edge  of  the  rocky 
rim  we  found  a  break  in  the  rock,  as  though  water  in  time 
of  heavy  rain  had  flowed  down  through  it  to  the  lake. 

We  entered  this  break,  and  descending  cautiously  soon 
found  ourselves  on  the  top  of  the  flat  rock.  Below  us  lay 
the  black  pool  of  Cooma-sa-harn ;  on  each  side  the  flat 
parapet  ended  in  steep  mountain  side  ;  above  us  was  the 
mountain  top,  accessible  only  by  the  hollow  shaft  through 
which  we  had  descended.  So  far  all  had  gone  as  the  survey 
through  the  telescope  had  led  us  to  hope — we  had  reached 
the  top  of  the  smoothed-faced  rock ;  but  the  nest  lay  thirty 
or  forty  feet  below  us,  still,  apparently  beyond  our  reach. 
We  sat  down  on  the  top  of  the  rock,  reluctant  to  quit  a  spot 
so  near  to  the  long-coveted  prize.  The  rock  on  which  we 
rested  was  flanked  on  one  side  by  a  broken  slant  of  mountain, 
down  which  a  descent  seemed  possible  if  there  was  any- 
thing at  hand  to  hold  fast  by ;  it  was,  however,  bare  of 
vegetation.  It  occurred  to  me  now  that  a  descent  could  be 
made  down  this  slant  by  means  of  a  rope,  held  by  a  second 
person  standing  on  the  ridge  where  we  stood.  The  ledge 
which  held  the  nest  was  situated  so  perpendicularly  under- 
neath as  to  be  bidder  altogether  from  our  standpoint ;  but 


The  eagle's  nest.  17 


if  my  survey'  through  the  telescope  had  been  correct,  a  per- 
son descending  the  slant  should  be  able  to  reach  that  end 
of  the  ledge  which  I  had  seen  in  the  sunlight  extending  on  one 
side  to  the  extremity  of  the  rock.  All  that  was  required  to 
put  this  theory  to  the  test  of  practice  was  a  strong  rope 
some  fifty  feet  long,  which,  held  by  one  at  the  top,  would 
act  as  a  support  to  one  of  us  while  going  down  the  slanting 
rock,  and  would  afterwards  afford  help  for  a  side  move- 
ment along  the  narrow  ledge  to  the  nest  itself.  •  As  I  sat 
thinking  out  this  plan  one  of  the  birds  came  soaring  on 
moveless  pinion  from  the  mountain  downwards  towards  the 
nest.  He  saw  us  long  before  he  reached  the  ledge,  and  his 
loud  and  angry  screams  rang  around  the  steep  rock-walls, 
making  strange  echoes  over  the  gloomy  water. 

We  went  home  that  evening  full  of  the  thought  that  we 
had  at  last  discovered  a  means  of  getting  to  the  eagle's 
nest.  It  would  take  a  few  days  to  obtain  a  rope  of  the  length 
and  strength  necessary  for  the  undertaking,  and  then  a  final 
effort  would  be  made  to  solve  the  long-considered  problem. 
It  took  me  some  days  to  procure  the  rope.  I  had  consulted 
Sergeant  MacMahon  vaguely  on  the  subject,  but  finding  that 
he  was  opposed  to  it  as  being  too  dangerous,  I  had  fallen  back 
upon  my  own  resources  and  those  of  Donogh.  At  length  all 
preparations  were  completed ;  we  had  tested  the  rope  by 
fastening  one  end  of  it  to  the  fork  of  a  tree  and  swinging 
out  on  the  other  end ;  we  had  also  got  an  iron  stake  to  fix 

c 


l8  Red  Cloud. 


in  a  crevice  of  the  rock  by  which  to  attach  the  rope  ;  with 
these  and  a  few  other  necessary  articles  we  set  out  early 
one   morning   for   Cooma-sa-harn.     We  struck  across  the 
shoulders-  of  Meelagh  mountain,  dipped  into  Glentahassig, 
and  breasting  up  the  steep  side  of  Seefin  came  out  on  the 
edge  of  the  cliff  which  looked  down  upon  the  dark  lake. 
Descending  the  chimney,  we  were  soon  in  our  old  position 
on  the  parapet  rim  of  the  large  flat  rock.     We  now  set  to 
work  to  fix  the  iron  stake  firmly  between  two  detached  rocks 
we   fastened   the  rope   securely  to  the  stake,   letting  the 
loose  end  fall  down  the  mountain  by  the  edge  of  the  per- 
pendicular cliff.     Now  came  the  anxious  moment ;  holding 
on  by  the  rope,  I  began  to  descend  the  steep  slanting  face 
of  the  mountain.     During  the  first  twelve  feet  of  the  descent 
the  work  was  easy  enough.     I  was  in  sight  of  Donogh,  whom 
I  had   directed  to  remain  at  the  stake  to  see  that    all  was 
right  there.     After  a  bit  the  hill  side  became  steeper,  a  piece; 
of  smooth  rock  occurred,  and  then  there  was  a  drop  of 
about  six  feet,  that  hid  Donogh  from  my  view.     When  I 
had  passed  this  drop  the  slant  became  again  easier,  and 
without  much  difficulty  I  gained  the  end  of  the  ledge  or 
groove  upon  which,  but  still  distant  from  me,  stood  the  nest. 
The  real  difficulty  of  the  undertaking  was  now  before  me. 
I    had   to  move  along   the  ledge,   a  narrow  shelf  on  the 
face   of  a  perpendicular  rock    many  hundred  feet   above 
the   lake.      It  was   now  Donogh's   work  to  unfasten  the 


The  eagles  nest.  19 


rope  from  the  iron  stake,  and  to  move  along  the  top,  kf^eping 
pace  with  my  progress  on  the  ledge  beneath.  F very- 
thing  depended  upon  his  steadiness  ;  but  I  had  full  faith  in 
his  strength  and  skill.  Up  to  this  time  all  had  been  per- 
fectly quiet  at  the  nest ;  there  was  no  sign  of  the  old  bird, 
nor  could  we  hear  the  young  ones  screaming.  I  began 
very  cautiously  to  move  along  the  narrow  ledge  ;  step 
by  step  I  went  along  As  I  proceeded  forward  the  ledge 
became  wider,  and  I  found  sufficient  room  for  both  my 
feet  to  stand  together  upon  it.  I  could  not  yet  see  the 
nest,  as  the  rock  curved  out  towards  its  centra  cutting  off 
the  view  beyond.  Arrived  at  the  bend  of  the  rock,  I  leant 
round  the  projection  and  peered  anxiously  forward.  There, 
on  the  bare  shelf  of  the  ledge,  lay  the  eagle's  nest ;  two 
young  eaglets  sat  dozing  on  the  rock  ;  around  lay  fragments 
of  bones,  tufts  of  fur  torn  from  rabbits,  feathers,  and  the 
dry  stems  of  heather. 

Another  step  and  I  was  round  the  bend  and  at  the  nest. 
At  this  spot  the  shelf  deepened  considerably  into  the  rock, 
leaving  space  sufficient  to  give  standing-room  without  need 
of  assistance.  Intent  only  upon  securing  the  young  birds,  I 
let  go  my  hold  of  the  rope,  and  seized  the  nearest  eaglet 
before  he  was  fully  awake ;  the  second  one,  hearing  his 
companion  scream,  retreated  further  into  the  hole.  Then  it 
was  that,  looking  outward,  I  saw  the  rope  hanging,  dangling 
loosely  in  mid-air.  It  was  beyond  my  reach.  For  a  moment 
c  2 


20  Red  Cloud. 


the  fearful  position  in  which  I  so  suddenly  found  myself 
caused  me  to  sink  upon  the  shelf.  All  the  reality  of  my 
situation  rushed  full  upon  my  mind.  The  rope  hung  fully  five 
or  six  feet  out  over  the  abyss,  for  the  rock  above  the  ledge  was 
formed  like  the  roof  of  a  cavern,  projecting  outward  between 
me  and  Donogh's  standpoint,  and  when  I  had  let  go  my 
hold  of  the  line  it  had  swung  out  to  its  level  fall.  That  I 
could  get  back  over  the  space  I  had  come,  and  ascend  again 
to  the  parapet  where  Donogh  stood,  I  knew  to  be  impos- 
sible. To  reach  the  line  from  the  nest  seemed  quite  hopeless. 
In  Donogh  lay  my  sole  chance  of  relief  If  by  any  means  he 
could  convey  the  rope  to  me,  all  would  be  well.  If  not, 
there  seemed  nothing  save  the  awful  alternative  of  death 
by  starvation  or  the  precipice  before  me.  I  shouted  to 
Donogh  what  had  happened.  I  told  him  that  I  could  not 
reach  the  rope  by  fully  three  feet — that  my  sole  chance  of 
escape  lay  in  his  being  able  to  follow  my  line  of  descent  and 
bring  the  rope  to  me,  leaving  it  fixed  at  the  other  end,  in 
some  part  of  the  parapet  above  which  would  allow  the  line 
to  pass  from  the  nest  to  the  end  of  the  ledge. 

The  minutes  now  passed  in  terrible  suspense.  Donogh 
shouted  to  me  that  he  was  looking  for  a  secure  place 
to  fasten  the  upper  end  of  the  rope  to.  I  remained  seated 
in  the  hollow,  scarcely  daring  to  think  what  the  next  few 
minutes  might  bring  forth.  Suddenly  Donogh  shouted  to 
me,  "  The  eagle  is  coming  back  to  the  nest."    The  news 


rope  was  again  within  my  grasp. 


"  The  eagle  is  coming  back  to  the  nest"  21 

roused  me  from  my  stupor — the  eagle  was  coming  back  !  I 
crouched  into  the  inmost  recesses  of  the  hollow.  I  still 
held  one  of  the  young  birds  in  the  bag  round  my  waist, 
the  other  bird  kept  on  the  ledge  at  the  further  side  from 
that  by  which  I  had  approached.  I  had  not  much  fear  as 
to  what  the  bird  could  do  ;  I  had  a  knife  in  my  belt,  and 
while  an  arm  was  free  I  knew  I  was  more  than  a  match  for 
any  bird.  From  the  spot  where  I  sat  I  could  see  out  over 
the  lake  into  the  blue  and  golden  sunshine. 

All  at  once  a  large  dark  object  crossed  the  line  of  light 
— soon  recrossing  it  again  as  another  wheel  brought  the 
huge  bird  nearer  to  its  nest.  Loud  screams  were  now 
audible  as  the  eagle  became  aware  of  something  being 
wrong  in  the  nest.  Then  there  was  the  fierce  beating  of 
wings  close  outside  the  aperture,  and  the  bird  was  perched 
on  the  edge  of  the  rock,  fiercely  defiant,  and  making  the 
echoes  wild  with  her  tumult.  But  amid  all  these  surround- 
ings I  was  only  conscious  of  one  fact.  The  eagle  had 
struck  the  rope  as  it  hung  down  in  front  of  the  opening ;  it 
had  caught  in  the  large  outstretched  pinion,  and  it  was 
again  within  my  reach,  passing  under  the  flapping  wing  of 
the  bird  as  she  stood  clasping  the  rock  ledge  in  her  falons. 
There  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost ;  I  thrust  the  young 
eagle  at  full  arm's  length  towards  the  mother;  she  fluttered 
forward  as  I  did  so — the  rope  was  again  within  my  grasp. 
In  an  instant  the  eagle  had  relaxed  her  hold  upon  the  rock, 


22  Red  Cloud. 


and  clutching  her  young  in  her  talons  she  went  soaring 
downward  to  a  lower  ledge  amid  the  cliffs.  I  thought 
I  could  never  get  away  fast  enough  now.  A  complete 
change  had  come  over  my  mind.  I  had  learnt  a  lesson  never 
to  be  forgotten ;  and  my  life,  forfeited  in  a  vain  and  fool- 
hardy attempt  to  gain  the  eagle's  nest  at  Cooma-sa-harn, 
was  given  back  to  me  by  the  wild  bird  whose  young  I  had 
come  to  rob  from  her,  I  now  called  out  to  Donogh  that 
all  was  again  right,  and  that  he  was  to  reverse  his  former 
practice  to  enable  me  to  rejoin  him.  I  passed  safely  back 
along  the  ledge,  reascended  the  slant,  and  gained  once  more 
the  parapet. 

"  Come,  Donogh,"  I  said  when  I  was  again  with  my 
companion,  "  let  us  leave  this  spot  ^^^latever  happens,  we 
will  never  again  rob  the  nest  or  kill  the  young  of  birds  or 
beasts.  There  is  sport  enough  in  the  world  for  us  without 
that." 

On  the  edge  of  the  mountain  side  we  paused  for  a 
moment  to  look  down  upon  Cooma-sa-harn,  and  the  scene 
that  lay  beyond  it.  One  eagle  was  screaming  loudly  from 
the  nest,  the  other  was  sweeping  down  on  outspread  pinion 
from  the  purple  wastes  of  Seefin. 

I  have  dwelt  long  upon  this  episode  in  my  early  career, 
not  so  much  from  its  importance,  but  because  it  did  more 
to  bring  home  to  my  mind  certain  truths  that  are  often 
realized  later  on  in  Ufe  than  anything  that  had  happened 


Alone  in  the  world.  23 

to  me  up  to  my  sixteenth  year.  I  had  soon  to  learn  another, 
and  a  more  bitter  lesson. 

The  summer  passed  away ;  autumn  came ;  the  smell  of 
dying  leaves  was  in  the  woods  of  Carragh,  the  wind  sighed 
amid  the  sedgy  grass  of  Lough  Cluen,  the  pine-trees  by 
the  priest's  house  moaned  in  the  breeze.  Things  looked  sad 
in  the  glen,  but  they  wore  even  a  sadder  aspect  in  our  little 
cottage.     My  mother  was  leaving  me  for  ever. 

One  evening  in  October  I  was  sitting  with  her  in  our  little 
parlour ;  the  flush  was  bright  upon  her  cheek,  her  wasted 
hand  was  resting  upon  mine  ;  she  spoke  to  me  in  a  low 
voice. 

''  You  will  soon  be  alone  in  the  world,"  she  said.  "  My  life 
has  only  a  little  while  to  run.  It  is  better  that  I  should  go.  I 
could  have  been  of  little  use  to  you  in  life,  and  I  might  have 
held  you  back  in  the  world.  In  any  case  we  must  have  parted 
soon,  for  your  days  could  not  have  been  spent  here  in  this 
distant  glen.  The  mountains  and  the  lakes  have  been 
good  friends  to  you,  but  it  is  time  for  you  to  leave  them, 
and  go  forth  to  take  your  place  in  the  work  of  the  world. 
I  should  have  wished .  you  in  your  father's  profession,  but 
that  could  not  be  \  we  are  too  poor  for  that.  Of  one  thing 
I  am  satisfied,  no  matter  what  the  future  may  have  in  store 
for  you,  I  feel  you  will  be  true  to  your  father's  name  and  to  my 
memory.  When  I  am  gone  you  will  have  the  world  all  be- 
fore you  to  choose  from.   Bear. well  your  part  in  life  whatever 


24  Red  Cloud. 


it  may  be.  Never  be  ashamed  of  your  God,  or  of  your 
country.  And  when  the  day  is  over  and  you  kneel  down  in 
prayer,  do  noi  forget  the  two  graves  that  lie  far  away  in  the 
little  island  of  l.ough  Cluen." 

About  a  week  alter  this  she  passed  quietly  away,  her 
hand  clasped  in  min :,  its  pressure  still  speaking  her  affection 
long  after  the  power  of  utterance  had  ceased. 

When  all  was  over  I  left  the  chamber  of  death, and  moved 
out  mechanically  into  the  open  air.  Night  had  fallen ;  the 
moon  was  high  over  the  glen.  I  walked  onward,  scarcely 
knowing  whither  I  was  going.  I  saw  all  things  around  as 
though  in  a  dream.  I  passed  through  the  wood  behind  the 
cottage ;  the  moonlight  shone  bright  upon  the  silver  stems 
of  the  birch-trees  ;  streaks  of  vapour  lay  in  the  hollows 
where  the  trees  ended.  I  saw  all  these  things,  and  yet  my 
brain  seemed  unable  to  move. 

I  turned  back  from  the  end  of  the  wood,  passed  the 
garden  gate,  and  entered  the  little  plot  of  ground  in  which 
my  mother  had  been  wont  to  tend  flowers.  It  was  now 
wild  and  desolate ;  grass  grew  on  the  walks  ;  weeds  and  dead 
leaves  lay  around  ;  only  a  few  chrysanthemums  were  still  in 
blossom — she  had  planted  them  in  the  past  summer,  and  now 
their  short  life  had  lasted  longer  than  her  own — their  pale 
flowers  in  the  moonlight  gave  forth  a  sweet  fragrance  on  the 
night  air. 

Death  had  chilled  my  heart ;  my  ej-es  had  been  dry ;  my 


/  start  for  the  Great  Prairie.  25 

brain  seemed  to  have  stopped  its  working  ;  but  here  the 
scent  of  the  flowers  she  had  planted  seemed  all  at  once  to 
touch  some  secret  sympathy,  and  bursting  into  a  flood  of 
grief  I  bowed  my  head  to  the  cold  damp  earth,  and  prayed 
long  and  earnestly  to  God. 

A  footstep  on  the  walk  roused  me.  The  old  priest  had 
sought  me  out.  "  Weep  not,  my  poor  boy,"  he  said,  as  he 
took  my  arm  in  his  own  and  led  me  to  the  cottage.  "  You 
pray  for  your  mother  on  earth.  She  is  praying  for  you  in 
heaven." 


]\Iy  boyhood  was  over.  I  was  alone  in  the  world.  The 
winter  deepened  and  passed,  the  spring  dawned,  and  with 
its  returning  freshness  and  sense  of  life  my  old  dreams  of 
distant  travel  came  again  upon  me.  I  determined  to  seek 
my  fortune  abroad,  to  go  forth  into  the  waste  wilds  of  the 
earth.  Glencar  had  but  trained  my  mind  and  body  to 
further  flights.  I  must  go  forth  to  the  struggle.  It  did  not 
take  long  to  arrange  matters  for  this  great  change.  My 
worldly  possessions  were  easily  realized ;  the  cottage  and 
little  farm  soon  found  a  purchaser ;  the  few  mementoes  of 
my  father's  life,  the  keepsakes.which  my  mother  had  left  me, 
were  put  carefully  away  in  charge  of  the  old  priest ;  and  I 
found  myself  the  possessor  of  a  few  hundred  pounds  in 
money,   a  gun,  my   father's  sword,  a  small  case  containing 


26  Red  Cloud. 


miniature  portraits  of  my  parents — with  which  to  face  the 
new  life  that  lay  before  me.     What  was  that  life  ? 

It  was  to  be  a  life  of  wandering  in  the  great  wilderness  of 
Western  America.  I  had  formed  from  books  a  pretty 
accurate  idea  of  the  great  divisions  of  the  Northern  Con- 
tinent of  America  which  yet  remained  in  the  domain  of 
untamed  nature.  I  knew  that  far  beyond  the  last  settler's 
hut  there  lay  a  vast  region  of  meadow,  which  finally  gave 
place  to  a  still  vaster  realm  of  forest,  which  in  time  yielded 
dominion  to  a  wild  waste  of  rock  and  water,  until  the  verge 
of  the  Polar  Sea.  I  knew  too  that  these  great  divisions  held 
roving  and  scattered  tribes  of  Indians,  sometimes  at  war 
with  each  other,  always  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  the  wild 
beasts  and  birds  whose  homes  were  in  those  untamed 
wastes.  More  I  did  not  need  to  know.  I  had  trust,  firm 
trust,  in  this  great  Nature,  her  lonely  hill-tops,  her  wild 
lakes.  The  sigh  of  winds  across  November  moors  had  had 
for  me  no  sense  of  dreariness,  no  kinship  with  sorrow. 
Why  should  I  dread  to  meet  this  world,  whose  aspects  I 
loved  so  well,  in  the  still  wilder  and  grander  scenes  of  an 
empire  where  civilized  man  was  a  total  stranger  ? 

Nor  was  I  to  be  altogether  alone  in  my  travels.  Donogh 
was  to  continue  in  his  old  sphere  of  companion  and 
attendant.  Together  we  had  roamed  the  hill  sides  of  Glencar; 
together  we  would  tread  the  vast  prairies,  pine  forests,  and 
mountains  of  the  American  wilderness. 


Good-bye  to  Glencar.'  iy 

The  day  of  our  departure  came. 

It  was  a  bright  morning  in  early  summer.  We  put  our 
small  baggage  on  Sergeant  MacMahon's  mule-cart,  said 
good-bye  to  all  our  friends,  and  set  out  upon  our  road. 
The  old  sergeant  insisted  upon  accompanying  me  as  far  as 
Killarney,  from  which  place  the  train  would  take  us  to  Cork, 
where  the  steamer  for  New  York  call  2d.  As  we  approached 
the  priest's  house,  the  old  man  stood  at  his  gate  waiting  for 
us.  His  voice  trembled  as  he  said  good-bye,  and  gave  us 
his  blessing.  "  God  is  everywhere,  my  boy,"  he  said,  as  he 
wrung  my  hand.  "  Remember  Him,  and  He  will  not  forget 
you." 

At  the  crest  of  the  hill  where  the  road  left  the  valley,  we 
stopped  a  moment  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  old  glen.  It 
lay  deep  in  sunshine,  every  peak  clear  and  cloudless  in  the 
summer  heaven. 


2S  Rt\l  Cloud. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Sunset  in  the  \vilds — Our  first  camp— Outlooks — The  solitary 
Sioux — Losses — The  Sioux  again — A  new  departure — The 
cache  at  the  Souri— The  story  of  Red  Cloud — The  red  man's 
offer. 

A  YEAR  passed  away. 

It  was  summer  again — summer  hurrying  towards  autumn 
— and  the  day  drawing  near  the  evening. 

The  scene  had  changed. 

Far  away  into  the  west  stretched  a  vast  green  plain.  No 
hills  rose  on  either  side;  sky  and  earth  met  at  the  horizon  in 
a  line  almost  as  level  as  though  land  had  been  water.  Upon 
one  side  some  scattered  clumps  of  aspens  and  poplars  were 
visible  ;  save  these  nothing  broke  the  even  surface  of  the 
immense  circle  to  the  farthest  verge  of  vision. 

I  stood  with  Donogh  in  the  centre  of  this  great  circle, 
realizing  for  the  first  time  the  grandeur  of  space  of  land.  We 
had  travelled  all  day,  and  now  the  evening  found  us  far 
advanced  upon  our  way  into  the  great  plains.  It  was  our 
first  day's  real  journey.  Early  on  that  morning  we  had  left 
behind  us  the  last  sign  of  civilized  settlement,  and  now,  as 


Our  first  camp.  29 


evening  was  approaching,  it  was  time  to  make  our  first  camp 
in  the  silent  wilds.  The  trail  which  we  followed  towards  the 
west  approached  some  of  those  aspen  thickets  already 
mentioned.  The  ground,  which  at  a  little  distance  appeared 
to  be  a  uniform  level,  was  in  reality  broken  into  gentle  un- 
dulations, and  as  we  gained  the  summit  of  a  slight  ascent 
we  saw  that  a  small  sheet  of  blue  water  lay  between  the 
thickets,  offering  on  its  margin  a  good  camping-place  for 
the  night. 

The  sun  had  now  touched  the  western  edge  of  the  prairie  ; 
for  a  moment  the  straight  line  of  the  distant  horizon  seemed 
to  hold  the  great  ball  of  crimson  fire  poised  upon  its  rim ; 
then  the  black  line  was  drawn  across  the  flaming  disc;  and 
then,  as  though  melting  into  the  earth,  the  last  fragment  of 
fire  disappeared  from  sight,  leaving  the  great  plain  to  sink 
into  a  blue  grey  twilight,  rapidly  darkening  into  night. 

We  stood  on  the  ridge  watching  this  glorious  going  down 
of  day  until  the  last  spark  of  sun  had  vanished  beneath  the 
horizon ;  then  we  turned  our  horses'  heads  towards  the 
lake,  still  shining  bright  in  the  after-glow,  and  made  our 
first  camp  in  the  wilds.  It  was  easy  work.  We  unloaded 
the  pack-horse,  unsaddled  the  riding-horses,  hobbled  the 
fore-legs,  and  turned  them  adrift  into  the  sedgy  grass  that 
bordered  the  lakelet.  Donogh  had  a  fire  soon  going  from 
the  aspen  branches,  the  lake  gave  water  for  the  kettle,  and 
ere  darkness  had  wholly  ^vrapt  the  scene  we  were  seated 


30  Red  Cloud. 


before  the  fire,  whose  light,  circled  by  the  mighty  solitude, 
grew  ever  brighter  in  the  deepening  gloom. 

\\Tiile  here  we  sit  before  our  first  camp  fire,  it  will  be 
well  that  I  should  say  something  about  our  plans  and  pro- 
spects for  the  future. 

Without  adventure  of  any  kind,  and  with  only  those 
difficulties  to  overcome  that  lie  in  all  undertakings  of  life 
where  real  effort  has  to  be  made,  we  had  reached  the 
confines  of  civilization  ;  a  kind  of  frontier  settlement,  half 
wigwam  half  village,  had  sprung  up  to  meet  the  wants  of 
those  traders  in  furs  and  peltries  who  form  the  connect- 
ing link  between  the  red  man  of  the  wilds  and  his  white 
brothers  in  civilization.  This  settlement  marked,  as  it  were, 
the  limits  of  the  two  regions— on  one  side  of  it  lay  judge 
and  jury,  sheriff,  policemen,  court-house,  and  fenced 
divisions  j  on  the  other,  the  wild  justice  of  revenge  held  em- 
pire, and  the  earth  was  all  man's  heritage. 

I  had  only  delayed  long  enough  in  this  frontier  settlement 
to  procure  the  necessary  means  of  travel  in  the  wilds.  I 
had  purchased  four  good  ponies,  two  for  saddle  use  and 
two  to  act  as  pack  animals  for  our  baggage — arms  we 
already  possessed — ammunition,  blankets,  knives,  a  couple 
of  copper  kettles,  a  supply  of  tea,  sugar,  salt,  pepper,  flour, 
and  matches,  a  few  awls,  and  axes.  These  I  had  obtained 
at  one  of  the  Indian  trading  stores,  and,  keeping  all  our 
plans  as  much  as  possible  to   ourselves,  we  had  on  this 


Outlooks.  31 


very  morning  set  our  faces  for  the  solitude,  intent  upon 
holding  on  steadily  into  the  west  during  the  months  of 
summer  that  yet  remained.  By  winter  time  I  counted  upon 
having  reached  the  vicinity  of  those  great  herds  of  buffaloes 
which  kept  far  out  from  the  range  of  man,  in  the  most  re- 
mote recesses  of  the  wilderness,  and  there  we  would  build  a 
winter  hut  in  some  sheltered  valley,  or  dwell  with  any 
Indian  tribe  whose  chief  would  bid  us  a  welcome  to  his 
lodges. 

Of  the  country  that  lay  before  us,  or  of  the  people  who 
roved  over  it,  I  knew  only  what  I  had  pictured  from  books 
in  the  old  glen  at  home,  or  from  the  chance  acquaintances 
I  had  made  during  our  stay  in  the  frontier  settlement ;  but 
when  one  has  a  simple  plan  of  life  to  follow,  it  usually 
matters  little  whether  the  knowledge  of  a  new  land  which 
can  be  derived  from  books  or  men  has  been  obtained  or 
not ;  time  is  the  truest  teacher,  and  we  had  time  before  us 
and  to  spare. 

We  ate  our  supper  that  night  with  but  few  words  spoken. 
The  scene  was  too  strange — the  outlook  too  mysterious,  to 
allow  thoughts  to  find  spoken  expression. 

Had  I  been  asked  that  night  by  Donogh  to  define  for 
him  the  precise  objects  I  had  in  view  in  thus  going  out 
into  the  wilds,  I  do  not  think  that  I  could  have  given  a 
tangible  reason.  I  did  not  go  as  a  gold-seeker,  or  a  trapper 
of  furs,  ©r  a  hunter  of  wild  animals.     We  would  follow  the 


32  Red  "?loud. 


chase,  trap  the  wild  animals  of  the  streams  or  marshes,  look 
for  gold  too ;  but  it  was  not  to  do  all  or  any  of  these  thing? 
that  I  had  left  civilization  behind  me.  This  great  untamed 
wilderness,  this  home  of  distance  and  solitude,  this  vast 
unbroken  dominion  of  nature — where  no  fence  crossed  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  where  plough  had  never  turned,  where 
lakes  lay  lapped  amid  shores  tenanted  only  by  the  moose 
and  the  rein-deer — all  this  endless  realm  of  prairie,  forest, 
rock,  and  rapid,  which  yet  remains  the  grandest  domain  of 
savage  nature  in  the  world,  had  had  for  me  a  charm,  not  the 
less  seductive  because  it  could  not  then  find  expression  in 
words,  or  give  explanation  for  its  fancy.  Enough  that  we 
.went  forth  wdth  no  sinister  object  in  view  against  man  or 
beast,  tree  or  plain;  we  went  not  to  annex,  to  conquer,  nor  to 
destroy ;  we  went  to  roam  and  rove  the  world,  and  to  pitch 
our  camps  wheresoever  the  evening  sun  might  find  us. 

Before  turning  in  for  the  night  I  left  the  light  of  the  fire, 
and  wandered  out  into  the  surrounding  darkness.  It  was 
a  wonderful  sight.  The  prairie  lay  wrapt  in  darkness,  but 
above,  in  the  sky,  countless  stars  looked  down  upon  the 
vast  plain ;  far  away  to  the  south,  the  red  glow  of  a  distant 
fire  was  visible ;  our  own  camp  fire  flamed  and  flickered, 
sheding  a  circle  of  light  around  it,  and  lighting  up  the 
nearer  half  of  the  lakelet  and  the  aspen  clumps  on  the 
shore.  At  times  there  passed  over  the  vast  plain  the  low 
sound  of  wind  among  grasses — a  sound  that  seemed  to  bring 


The  solitary  Sioitx.  33 


to  the  ear  a  sense  of  immense  distance  and  of  great  loneli- 
ness. For  a  moment  I  felt  oppressed  by  this  vague  lonely 
waste;  but  I  thought  of  the  old  priest's  words,  and  looking 
up  again  from  the  dark  earth  to  the  starlit  heavens,  I  saw 
all  the  old  stars  shining  that  I  used  to  know  so  well  in  the 
far-away  glen  at  home.  Then  I  knelt  down  on  the  prairie, 
and  prayed  for  help  and  guidance  in  the  life  that  lay  before 
me. 

Daylight  had  broken  some  time  when  I  awoke,  and  rose 
from  my  blanket  bed  for  a  survey  of  the  morning.  How 
vast  seemed  the  plain  !  Far  away  it  spread  on  all  sides  ;  all 
its  loneliness  had  vanished ;  it  lay  before  me  fresh,  fair, 
and  dew-sparkled — our  trail  leading  off  over  distant  ridges, 
until  it  lay  like  a  faint  thread  vanishing  into  the  western 
space. 

As  my  eye  followed  this  western  path,  I  noticed  a 
mounted  figure  moving  along  it  about  a  mile  distant, 
approaching  our  camping-place  at  an  easy  pace.  I  called  to 
Donogh  to  get  the  fire  going  and  make  ready  our  break- 
fast, and  we  had  barely  got  the  kettle  on  the  flames  when 
the  stranger  had  reached  our  camp. 

He  rode  right  up  to  the  spot  where  we  stood,  alighted 
from  his  horse,  and  throwing  the  reins  loose  on  the  animal's 
neck,  came  forward  to  meet  me.  I  advanced  towards  him 
and  held  out  my  hand  in  welcome.  A  large  shaggy  hound, 
half  deer  half  wolf-dog,  followed  closely  at  his  heels.     We 


34  R^d  Cloud. 


shook  hands  ;  the  stranger  seated  huTiself  near  the  fire,  and 
silence  reigned  for  a  few  minutes.  My  experience  in  the 
settlement  had  taught  me  the  few  rules  of  Indian  etiquette, 
and  I  busied  myself  in  helping  Donogh  to  complete  the 
arrangement  for  breakfast  before  questioning  the  new 
comer  upon  his  journey  or  intentions. 

Our  breakfast  was  soon  ready.  I  handed  a  cup  of  tea 
and  a  plate  of  pemmican  to  the  Indian,  and  sat  down 
myself  to  the  same  fare.  When  we  had  eaten  a  little,  I 
addressed  our  guest,  asking  him  his  length  of  journey  and 
its  destination. 

He  had  come  many  days  from  the  west,  he  said  in  reply. 
His  destination  was  the  west  again,  when  he  had  visited  the 
settlement. 

Then  it  was  my  turn  to  tell  our  movements.  I  said 
exactly  what  they  were.  I  told  him  that  we  had  come  from  a 
land  across  the  sea,  and  that  we  were  going  as  far  as  the 
land  would  take  us  into  the  north-west,  that  we  were 
strangers  on  the  prairie,  but  hoped  soon  to  learn  its  secrets 
and  its  people. 

\\Tiile  the  meal  proceeded  I  had  opportunity  of  study- 
ing the  appearance,  dress,  and  accoutrements  of  our  guest. 
They  were  remarkable,  and  quite  unlike  anything  I  had 
before  seen. 

He  was  a  man  in  the  very  prime  of  life;  his  dress  of 
deer-skin  had  been  made  with  unusual  neatness ;  the  sleeves 


The  solitary  Sioux.  35 

fully  intenvoven  with  locks  of  long  black  hair,  were  covered 
with  embroidered  porcupine-quill  work,  which  was  also  plen- 
tifully scattered  over  the  breast  and  back ;  the  tight-fitting 
leggings  and  sharp-pointed  moccasins  were  also  embroidered. 

He  carried  across  his  saddle-bow  a  double-barrelled 
English  rifle ;  but  the  ancient  weapons  of  his  race  had  not 
been  abandoned  by  him,  for  a  quiverful  of  beautifully 
shaped  Indian  arrows,  and  a  short  stout  bow,  along  the 
back  of  which  the  sinews  of  the  buffalo  had  been  stretched 
to  give  it  strength  and  elasticity,  showed  that  he  was  per- 
fectly independent,  for  war  or  the  chase,  of  modern  weapons 
and  ammunition. 

As  head  covering  he  wore  nothing,  save  what  nature 
had  given  him — long  jet-black  hair,  drawn  back  from  the 
forehead  and  flowing  thickly  over  the  shoulders.  A  single 
feather  from  an  eagle's  tail  formed  its  sole  ornament.  The 
end  of  the  feather,  turned  slightly  back,  was  tied  with  the 
mystic  "  totem  "  of  chieftainship.  His  horse,  a  stout  mustang 
,of  fourteen  hands  high,  carried  the  simple  trappings  of  the 
plains — the  saddle  of  Indian  workmanship,  the  bridle,  a 
single  rein  and  small  snafile  with  a  long  laret  attached,  and 
from  the  neck  was  suspended  the  leather  band  by  means 
of  which  the  rider  could  lay  his  length  along  the  horse's 
flank  farthest  from  his  enemy  while  he  launched  his  arrows 
beneath  the  animal's  neck,  as  he  galloped  furiously  in  lessen- 
ing circles  around  his  foe. 

D    2 


36  Red  Ooud. 


He  spoke  English  wi:h  an  acce~:  that  showed  he  had  been 
taught  in  wesiem  schools;  but  though  the  language  was 
English  the  manner  of  its  utterance  was  wholly  Indian ;  it 
was  Indian  thought  pat  into  English  words,  and  accom- 
panied by  the  slow  and  dignified  action  of  Indian  gesture. 
He  took  the  tobacco  pouch  which  I  offered  him  when  our 
meal  was  finished,  filled  his  greenstone  pipe,  drew  a  lighted 
stick  fix)m  Ae  fire,  and  began  to  smoke  quietly,  while  his 
dark  eye  seemed  to  rest  upon  the  ashes  and  embers  of  the 
fire  before  him-  But  the  keen  sharp  eye  was  not  idle ;  and 
one  by  one  the  articles  of  our  little  kit,  and  the  horses  which 
Donogh  had  now  driven  in  preparatory  to  saddling  for  the 
day's  journey,  had  been  conned  over  in  his  mind- 
After  smoking  for  some  time  he  spoke.  "  Does  my 
brother  know  what  he  will  meet  on  the  path  he  is  following  ?  " 
he  asked.  I  told  him  that  I  had  only  a  very  shadowy  idea 
of  what  was  before  us ;  that  I  intended  going  on  fi-om  day 
to  day,  and  that  when  the  winter  season  came  I  hoped  to 
build  a  tent,  and  live  in  it  until  the  snow  went,  and  I  could 
wander  on  again.  I  told  him,  too,  that  I  was  not  going  to 
seek  for  gold,  or  to  trade  for  fiirs  and  peltries,  but  only  to 
live  on  the  prairies — to  meet  the  red  men,  to  breathe  the 
open  air  of  the  wilderness,  and  roam  the  world.  Then  I 
asked  some  more  questions  about  his  own  intentions.  I 
asked  him  how  it  was  that  he  was  all  alone  on  this  long 
journey ;  for  I  knew  that  the  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of 


The  solitary  Sioux.  37 

moving  in  parties,  and  that  it  was  most  unusual  for 
them  to  be  seen  travelHng  alone.  He  replied  that  he 
travelled  by  himself  partly  from  choice  and  partly  from 
necessity, 

**  I  am  the  last  of  my  people,"  he  said,  "  the  last  of  the 
Mandan  branch  of  the  Sioux  race.  It  is  true  that  I  might 
find  companions  among  the  Ogahalla  or  Minatarree 
branches  of  my  nation,  but  then  I  would  have  to  dwell 
with  them  and  live  their  lives.  The  work  I  have  to  do  can 
only  be  done  by  myself;  until  it  is  finished  I  must  follow  a 
single  trail.  I  have  for  companion  this  dog,  an  old  and 
oft-tried  friend." 

I  then  asked  him  if  he  had  seen  much  of  the  prairie. 

He  replied  that  he  knew  it  all ;  that  from  the  Stony 
Mountains  to  the  waters  of  the  Lake  Winnipeg,  from  the 
pine  forest  of  the  north  to  the  sage-bush  deserts  of  the 
Platte,  he  had  travelled  all  the  land.  Shortly  after  this  he 
rose  to  depart.  We  shook  hands  again ;  he  sprang  lightly 
into  his  saddle  and  rode  off  towards  the  east.  When  he 
was  gone  we  rolled  up  our  blankets  and  traps  and  departed  on 
cur  western  way.  It  was  the  morning  after  the  second  night 
from  this  time  that  we  found  ourselves  camped  at  break  of 
day  in  the  valley  of  a  small  stream  which  flowed  south 
toward  the  Souri  river.  So  far,  all  had  gone  well  with  us. 
We  had  met  with  no  difficulty,  and  had  begun  to  think  that 
our    western   course   would   continue   to   be    marked    by 


38  Red  Cloud. 


unchanging  success.  On  this  morning,  however,  we  awoke 
to  other  thoughts. 

Two  of  our  horses  had  disappeared.  At  first  we  thought 
that  they  had  strayed  farther  away  than  the  others,  but 
after  searching  far  and  near  over  the  prairie  we  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  they  had  been  stolen.  It  was  a  cruel  blow. 
At  first  I  felt  stunned,  but  bit  by  bit  I  thought  the  matter  out 
and  determined  to  face  the  difficulty.  After  all  it  might 
have  been  worse,  we  had  still  two  horses  left ;  we  would  put 
all  our  supplies  on  one  animal,  and  ride  by  turns  on  the 
other.  We  would  camp  early,  let  the  horses  feed  while  it 
was  yet  daylight,  and  keep  them  picketted  by  our  camp  at 
night.  So,  putting  a  good  face  upon  the  matter,  we  got  our 
things  together,  and  set  out  about  mid-day  on  our  western  road. 
Donogh  was  on  foot  leading  the  pack-horse ;  I  rode  slowly  on 
in  front.  It  still  wanted  two  full  hours  of  sunset  when  we 
halted  for  the  evening.  We  turned  out  the  horses  to  graze. 
I  took  my  gun  and  sat  down  on  a  ridge  to  watcx.  them  as 
they  fed.  It  was  then  that  the  loss  we  had  suffered  seemed 
to  come  heaviest  to  me.  As  I  sat  there  I  thought  over  the 
length  of  time  we  must  now  take  to  reach  the  distant 
prairies  of  the  west,  and  my  heart  sank  at  the  prospect  of 
slow  and  weary  travel,  with  the  chances  of  further  losses 
that  would  leave  us  helpless  upon  the  vast  plains. 

As  I  sat  thus  brooding  upon  our  misfortunes  I  noticed 
one  of  the  horses   raise  his  head  from  feeding  and  gaze 


Losses,  39 

steadily  back  upon  our  trail.  Looking  in  that  direction  I 
saw  a  solitary  figure  approaching  upon  horseback.  A  glance 
sufficed  to  tell  me  that  it  was  the  same  man  who  had  visited 
our  camp  two  mornings  earlier.  For  a  moment  I  involun- 
tarily connected  his  presence  with  our  loss ;  but  then  it 
occurred  to  me  that  he  would  not  seek  our  camp  again  if  he 
had  stolen  our  horses,  and  I  remembered  too  that  he  had 
told  me  he  was  going  west  when  he  had  visited  the  frontier 
settlement. 

He  came  up  to  where  I  was,  and  shook  hands  with 
me  without  dismounting,  his  dog  keeping  close  by  his 
horse's  flank.  I  told  him  of  our  loss,  and  spoke  freely  of  its 
serious  nature  to  us.  I  said  we  were  now  reduced  to  only 
two  horses,  and  asked  him  frankly  if  he  could  do  anything 
to  help  me.  He  Hstened  quietly,  and  when  I  had  done 
speaking  he  said, — 

"  The  prairie  without  horses  is  like  a  bird  without  wings. 
When  I  left  you  two  days  ago,  I  thought  you  would  soon 
learn  that  life  in  the  wilderness  was  not  all  so  easy.  Your 
horses  have  been  taken  by  some  Salteaux  Indians.  I  saw 
their  trail  at  mid-day  to  day  as  I  came  hither.  They  are 
far  away  from  here  by  this  time.  I  am  soiry  for  you,"  he 
went  on,  "  for  you  are  the  first  white  man  I  have  ever  met 
who  came  out  to  this  land  of  ours  with  the  right  spirit.  You 
do  not  come  to  make  money  out  of  us  Indians  :  you  do  not 
come  to  sell  or  to  buy,  to  cheat  and  to  lie  to  us.    White  men 


40  Red  Cloud. 


think  there  is  but  one  work  in  life,  to  get  money.  When  you 
told  me  your  story  a  couple  of  mornings  since  I  thought  it 
was  my  own  life  you  were  telling  me  of.  Now  you  ask  me 
if  I  can  help  you  to  get  back  the  horses  which  have  been 
taken  from  you.  I  could  get  them  back,  but  it  would  take 
time  and  long  travel.  I  can  do  better  for  you,  my  brother ; 
I  can  get  you  new  horses  in  place  of  the  old  ones." 

I  scarcely  believed  the  words  I  listened  to,  so  good  was 
the  news  they  told  me. 

"  If  you  like,"  he  went  on,  "  to  learn  the  life  of  the  prairie, 
I  will  teach  it  to  you.  Do  not  sorrow  any  more  for  your  loss  ; 
we  will  camp  here  to-night,  and  to-morrow  we  will  see  what 
can  be  done." 

-  So  saying  he  unsaddled  his  horse,  and  throwing  saddle, 
bridle,  and  blanket  on  the  ground,  sat  down  by  the  fire  and 
began  to  smoke.  When  supper  was  ready  I  gave  him  a  share 
of  our  meal,  and  he  camped  with  us  that  night. 

W'^  were  astir  very  early  on  the  next  morning.  In  order  to 
travel  with  greater  speed  the  Indian  divided  our  baggage 
into  three  portions,  which  he  placed  equally  on  the  three 
horses,  adjusting  the  loads  in  front  and  behind  the  saddles. 
This  enabled  Donogh  to  ride ;  and  although  it  put  a  heavy 
load  on  all  the  horses,  it  would  only  be  for  one  day.  What 
plan  the  Indian  had  formed  I  had  at  this  time  no  idea  of, 
but  I  already  looked  upon  him  in  the  light  of  a  true  bene- 
factor, and  I  was  prepared  to  follow  implicitly  his  guidance. 


A  new  departure.  4 1 

The  sun  had  just  risen  when  we  quitted  our  camping-place 
and  took  the  old  trail  to  the  west ;  but  an  hour  or  so  after 
starting,  the  Indian,  who  led  the  way,  quitted  the  tjail  and 
bent  his  course  across  the  plain  in  a  south-westerly  direction. 
During  some  hours  he  held  his  way  in  this  direction  ;  there 
was  no  trail,  but  every  hill  and  hollow  seemed  to  be  familiar 
to  our  guide,  and  he  kept  his  course  in  a  line  which  might  have 
appeared  to  me  to  be  accidental,  had  I  not  observed  that 
when  we  struck  streams  and  water-courses  the  banks  afforded 
easy  means  of  crossing.  About  mid -day  we  quitted  the  open 
prairie,  and  entered  upon  a  country  broken  into  clumps  of 
wood  and  small  copses  of  aspen  ;  many  lakelets  were  visible 
amid  the  thickets  ;  and  the  prairie  grouse  frequently  rose 
from  the  grass  before  our  horses'  feet,  and  went  whirring  aw^y 
amid  the  green  and  golden  thickets  of  cotton-wood  and 
poplars. 

It  was  drawing  towards  evening  when  our  1  ittleparty  emerged 
upon  the  edge  of  a  deep  depression  which  suddenly  opened 
before  us.  The  bottom  of  this  deep  valley  was  some  two  or 
three  miles  wide  ;  it  was  filled  with  patches  of  bright  green 
meadow,  and  dotted  with  groups  of  trees  placed  as  though 
they  had  been  planted  by  the  hand  of  man.  Amidst  the 
meadows  and  the  trees  ran  a  many-curved  stream  of  clear 
silvery  water,  now  glancing  over  pebble-lined  shallows,  now 
flowing  still  and  soft  in  glassy  unrippled  lengths. 

Drawing   rein   at   the  edge  of  this  beautiful  valley,  the 


Red  Cloud. 


Indian  pointed  his  hand  down  towards  a  small  meadow 
lying  at  the  farther  side  of  the  river.  *'  There  is  the  Souri 
river,"  he  said,  "  and  those  specks  in  the  meadow  at  the  far 
side  are  my  horses.  Our  halting-place  is  in  the  wood  where 
you  see  the  pine-tops  rise  above  the  cotton-trees."  So 
saying  he  led  the  way  down  the  ridge.  We  soon  became  lost 
in  the  maze  of  thickets  in  the  lower  valley ;  but  half  an 
hour's  ride  brought  us  to  the  meadows  bordering  upon  the 
river,  and  soon  we  gained  the  Souri  itself.  The  Indian 
led  the  way  into  the  stream,  and  heading  for  a  shelving  bank 
on  the  other  side  ascended  the  opposite  shore.  On  the  very 
edge  of  the  stream  at  the  farther  side  stood  the  grove  of 
pines  which  we  had  seen  from  the  upper  level  half  an  hour 
before. 

Into  this  grove  we  rode,  pushing  through  some  poplar 
brushwood  that  fringed  its  outer  edges.  Once  inside  this 
brushwood,  the  ground  beneath  the  pine-trees  was  clear. 
Almost  in  the  centre  of  the  "  bluff  "  an  Indian  lodge  was 
pitched.  It  stood  quite  hidden  from  view  until  we  were 
close  upon  it.  I  soon  saw  that  the  pine  bluff  occupied  a 
"  point  "  on  the  river  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  stream  formed  almost 
a  complete  curve  around  it,  encircling  the  bluff  upon  three 
sides.  From  the  doorway  of  the  lodge  a  view  could  be 
obtained  of  the  ground  within  and  beyond  the  narrow  neck 
formed  by  the  river's  bend  as  they  approached  each  other. 

Immediately  on  arrival  the  Indian  had  dismounted. 


The  cache  at  the  Soiiri.  43 

"Here,"  he  said,  "is  my  home  for  the  present,  and 
whenever  I  wander  into  these  regions.  To-night  we  will 
rest  here,  and  to-morrow  continue  our  way  towards  the  west 
This  morning  you  gave  me  food  from  your  small  store  ;  to- 
night you  will  eat  with  me." 

So  saying  he  set  about  his  preparations  for  evening. 

From  a  branch  overhead  he  let  down  a  bag  of  dry  meat 
and  flour ;  from  a  pile  of  wood  close  by  he  got  fuel  for  a 
fire  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge ;  from  a  cache  in  the  hollow 
trunk  of  one  of  the  trees  he  took  a  kettle  and  other  articles 
of  camp  use  ;  and  before  many  minutes  had  passed  our  even- 
ing meal  was  ready  in  the  lodge,  while  the  horses  were  adrift 
in  the  meadow  beyond  the  "  neck,"  with  the  others  already 
grazing  there. 

Before  our  meal  was  finished  evening  had  closed  over  the 
scene,  and  in  the  shadow  of  the  spruce  pines  it  was  quite 
dark.  An  ample  supply  of  dry  fuel  was  piled  near  the  tent 
door,  and  the  fire  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge  was  kept  well 
supplied.  It  burned  bright  and  clear,  lighting  up  the 
features  of  the  Indian  as  he  sat  before  it  cross-legged  upon 
the  ground.  He  seemed  to  be  buried  in  deep  thought  for 
some  time.  Looking  across  the  clear  flame  I  observed  his 
face  with  greater  attention  than  I  had  before  bestowed  upon 
it.  It  was  a  handsome  countenance,  but  the  lines  of  care 
and  travail  showed  deeply  upon  it,  and  the  expression  was 
one  of  great  and  lasting  sadness.     In  the  moments  of  action 


44  Red  Cloud. 


in  the  work  of  the  prairie  this  sad  look  had  been  less  ob- 
servable ;  but  now,  as  he  sat  in  repose,  looking  intently  into 
he  fire,  the  features  had  relapsed  into  their  set  expression  of 
gloom. 

At  last  he  raised  his  head  and  spoke. 

"  You  must  know  my  story.  When  you  have  heard  it, 
you  can  decide  for  yourself  and  your  friend  what  course 
you  will  follow.  I  will  tell  you  how  it  has  happened  that  I 
am  here,  and  why  I  am  going  west  so  soon.  Listen  to  me 
wea" 

Then,  as  we  sat  around  the  fire  in  the  centre  of  the 
lodge,  he  thus  began  : — 

"Among  men  I  am  called  'Red  Cloud.'  It  is  now 
more  than  ten  years  since  I  joined  my  people,  the  Mandan 
Sioux,  on  the  shores  of  Minnie  Wakan.  They  had  just  been 
driven  back  by  the  soldiers  of  the  United  States.  My 
tribe  had  dwelt  on  the  coteau  by  the  edge  of  the  great  Pipe 
Stone  quarry.  The  buffalo  were  numerous  over  all  the  sur- 
rounding prairies.  We  were  then  at  peace  with  the  Ameri- 
cans. They  had  purchased  from  our  chiefs  the  valley  of 
the  Bois  des  Sioux,  the  Red  River,  and  the  land  of  the 
Otter  Tail.  We  had  given  up  all  that  fair  region  of  lake 
and  meadow,  hill  and  copse,  which  still  carries  the  name 
we  gave  it,  "  Minnesota,"  or  the  Land  of  Sky-coloured 
Water.  The  white  waves  were  coming  on  faster  and  faster 
from  the  east,  and  we,  the  red  waves,  were  drifting  before 


"h 


At  last  the  Sioux  raised  his  head  and  spoke. 


The  story  of  Red  Cloud.  45 

them  farther  and  farther  into  the  west.  I  dwelt  with  my 
people  at  the  Minnie  Wakan,  or  the  Lake  of  the  Evil  Spirit. 
It  is  a  salt  and  bitter  water  which  lies  far  out  in  the  great 
prairie;  but  it  was  a  favourite  haunt  of  the  buffalo,  and  the 
wapiti  were  many  in  the  clumps  of  aspen  and  poplar  along 
its  deep-indented  shores. 

"  For  a  time  after  the  surrender  of  Minnesota  peace  reigned 
between  our  people  and  the  white  man  ;  but  it  was  a  hollow 
peace ;  we  soon  saw  it  could  not  last.  Many  of  our  old 
chiefs  had  said,  '  Take  what  the  white  man  offers  you.  Let 
us  fix  the  boundaries  of  our  lands  far  out  towards  the  setting 
sun,  and  then  we  will  be  safe  from  the  white  man,  who  ever 
comes  from  the  rising  sun.  We  will  then  live  at  peace  with  him.' 

"  Well,  we  went  far  out  into  the  prairie  ;  but  the  white 
man  soon  followed  us.  The  buffalo  began  to  leave  us ;  the 
wapiti  became  scarce  around  the  shores  of  Minnie  Wakan. 
We  were  very  poor.  At  the  time  when  I  joined  my  people 
an  army  had  taken  the  field  with  the  avowed  intention 
of  driving  the  remnants  of  our  once  strong  race  across  the 
great  Missouri  river.  I  could  not  remain  an  idle  spectator 
of  a  struggle  in  which  my  people  were  fighting  for  home 
and  for  existence. 

"  It  is  true  I  had  been  brought  up  a  Christian,  edu- 
cated in  a  school  far  away  in  Canada  with  white  people, 
and  taught  the  uselessness  of  contending  with  civilization ; 
but  what  of  that  ? 


46  Red  Clo7id. 


"  Blood  is  stronger  than  what  you  call  civilization  ;  and 
when  I  got  back  again  into  the  prairie,  and  to  the  sky- 
bound  plain — when  I  felt  beneath  me  the  horse  bound 
lightly  over  the  measureless  meadow — and  when  I  knew 
that  my  people  were  about  to  make  a  last  fight  for  the 
right  to  live  on  the  land  that  had  been  theirs  since  a  time 
the  longest  memory  could  not  reach — then  I  cast  aside  every 
other  thought,  and  turned  my  face  for  ever  towards  the 
wilderness  and  my  home. 

"The  Mandans  received  me  with  joy.  As  a  boy  I  had 
left  them ;  as  a  man  I  returned.  My  father  was  still 
a  chief  in  the  tribe,  and  from,  his  horses  I  had  soon  the 
best  and  fastest  for  my  own. 

"  I  had  forgotten  but  few  of  the  exercises  which  an  Indian 
learns  from  earliest  childhood.  I  could  ride  and  run  with 
the  best  of  them,  and  in  addition  to  the  craft  and  skill  of 
the  wilderness,  I  had  learned  the  use  of  the  weapons  of 
civilization,  and  the  rifle  had  become  as  familiar  to  hand 
and  eye  as  the  bow  had  been  in  the  days  of  my  boy- 
hood. 

"Soon  we  heard  that  the  Americans  were  advancing 
towards  the  coteau.  We  struck  our  lodges  by  the  Minnie 
Wakan,  fired  the  prairie,  and  set  out  for  the  south.  By  the 
edge  of  the  coteau  our  scouts  first  fell  in  with  the  white  men. 
We  did  not  fire,  for  the  chief  had  decided  that  we  would  not 
be  the  first  to  fight,  but  would  seek  a  parley  when  we  met. 


The  story  of  Red  Clo7id.  47 

It  was  my  work  to  meet  the  white  people  and  hear  what 
they  had  to  say.     I  was  able  to  speak  to  them. 

*'  I  approached  their  scouts  with  a  few  of  my  men,  and 
made  signs  that  we  wished  to  talk.  Some  of  the  white 
people  rode  forward  in  answer,  and  we  met  them  midway, 
I  began  by  asking  what  they  wanted  in  our  land  ;  that 
they  were  now  in  our  country,  and  that  our  chief  had  sent 
me  to  know  the  meaning  of  their  visit. 

"  One  of  them  replied  that  they  had  come  by  order  of 
the  Great  Father  at  Washington ;  that  the  land  belonged  to 
him  from  sea  to  sea ;  and  that  they  could  ride  through  it 
where  they  willed. 

"  While  we  spoke,  one  of  my  braves  had  approached  a 
large,  strongly-built  man  who  rode  a  fine  black  horse.  All 
at  once  I  heard  the  click  of  a  gun-lock.  In  token  of  peace 
we  had  left  our  guns  in  the  camp  ;  we  carried  only  our  bows. 
The  gun  thus  cocked  was  in  the  hands  of  the  white  man 
riding  the  black  horse.  It  has  been  said  since  that  he  did 
the  act  fearing  that  the  Indian  who  stood  near  meant  harm  ; 
if  so,  his  belief  was  wrong,  and  it  cost  him  his  life.  The 
Indian  heard  the  noise  of  the  hammer.  With  a  single 
bound  he  was  at  the  horse's  shoulders,  had  seized  the  barrel 
of  the  gun  and  twisted  it  from  the  white  man's  hands.  As 
he  did  so,  one  barrel  exploded  in  the  air.  An  instant  later 
the  other  was  discharged  full  into  the  white  man's  breast, 
and  before  a  v/ord  could  be  uttered,  the  brave  was  in  his 


48  Red  Cloud. 


saddle,  driving  the  black  horse  furiously  over  the  plain. 
There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  gallop  too ;  we  were  well 
mounted,  and  the  shots  they  sent  after  us  only  made  our 
horses  fly  the  faster.  We  reached  our  people.  The  war 
had  begun. 

"  I  will  not  tell  you  of  that  war  now.  In  the  end  we 
were  beaten,  as  we  always  must  be.  Two  men  will  beat 
one  man,  twenty  will  do  it  faster. 

"  Many  of  us  were  killed ;  many  more  fled  north  into 
English  territory.  My  father  was  among  the  latter  number. 
I  remained  with  a  few  others  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  Black 
Hills. 

"  Now  listen  to  me. 

"  My  father,  the  old  chief,  went,  I  have  said,  north  into 
British  land.  I  never  saw  him  again.  A  year  later  I  also 
sought  refuge  in  this  region,  and  this  is  the  story  I  gathered 
from  the  few  scattered  people  of  our  tribe. 

"  My  father,  *  The  Black  Eagle,'  had  been  invited  to  a 
trader's  house  on  the  banks  of  the  Red  River,  not  fifty  miles 
from  where  we  now  are.  This  trader  had  given  him  spirit 
to  drink.  In  the  spirit  he  had  put  laudanum.  My  father 
drank  unsuspectingly,  and  was  soon  plunged  into  deep  un- 
conscious sleep.  From  that  sleep  he  woke  to  find  him- 
self in  the  hands  of  the  Americans. 

"  It  was  the  depth  of  winter.  His  betrayers  had  bound 
him  while  asleep  upon  a  sledge  drawn  by  a  fast  horse.     In 


The  story  of  Red  Cloud.  49 

the  dead  of  night  they  had  carried  him  to  the  American 
lines  at  Pembina,  and  there  sold  him  to  the  Yankee 
officer,  bound  and  helpless. 

"The  price  paid  was  500  dollars.  A  week  later  the  old 
chief,  my  father,  was  hanged  as  a  traitor  in  sight  of  the  very 
river  by  whose  banks  he  had  been  born. 

"  You  wonder  what  has  brought  me  to  these  northern 
lands?  My  father's  spirit  has  brought  me.  Five  times  since 
that  day  I  have  sought  my  father's  murderer,  and  each  time 
my  search  has  been  fruitless.  Yes,  through  all  these  years, 
through  many  changes,  and  from  far  distant  places,  I  have 
come  here  to  seek  revenge.  Again  I  have  been  baffled. 
The  man  for  whom  I  look  has  gone  far  out  on  the 
plains,  trading  with  the  Crees  and  Blackfeet.  I  learned 
this  two  days  ago,  in  the  settlement,  and  at  once  turned 
my  horse's  head  towards  the  west,  determined  to  seek 
this  spot,  get  my  horses,  pack  up,  and  follow  the  trail 
of  my  father's  murderer  into  the  great  prairie. 

**By  chance  I  saw  you  again  this  morning.  You  are 
different  from  all  the  white  men  I  have  ever  met.  You 
seem  to  love  the  wilderness  for  its  wildness,  as  a  bird 
loves  the  air  for  its  freedom.  Well,  it  is  for  that  that  I  love 
it  too.  In  our  old  times,  when  the  Sioux  were  strong  and 
powerful,  the  young  men  of  the  tribe,  the  best  and  bravest, 
used  to  swear  an  oath  of  brotherhood  and  lasting  friendship 
to  the  young  braves  ot    other    tribes.     That  oath  meant, 


50  Red  Cloud. 


that  if  they  met  in  battle,  or  in  danger,  the  hfe    of  one 
was  sacred  to  the  other. 

"  To  you  I  will  give  that  promise  and  that  oath.  I 
have  no  friends  but  my  horse  and  dog.  My  people  are  scat- 
tered far  and  wide  over  the  wilderness.  Most  of  those  who 
were  with  me  ten  years  ago  are  now  dead.  I  am  an  out- 
cast on  the  earth ;  but  I  am  free,  and  fear  no  man.  We 
will  together  roam  the  wilderness;  at  any  time  if  you 
desire  it,  you  are  free  to  part.  I  do  not  ask  your  assis- 
tance to  revenge  the  wrongs  I  have  suffered.  That  shall 
be  my  own  work.  For  the  rest  I  have  quarrel  with  no 
man.  Ever  since  that  war  with  the  Americans  I  have  fired 
no  hostile  shot  at  a  red  man  of  any  race  or  tribe.  When 
attacked  I  have  defended  myself;  but  I  have  joined  no 
tribe  to  fight  another  tribe.  If  I  fall  into  the  hands  of  my 
enemies  I  know  that  my  father's  death  will  be  my  death— 
that  as  his  bones  were  left  to  bleach  in  sight  of  the  land  in 
which  he  was  bom,  so  mine  would  be  also  gibbetted,  as  a 
warning  to  the  wretched  remnants  of  my  race  who  yet  live, 
spectral  shadows,  on  the  land  that  once  had  owned  the 
dominion  of  the  Sioux." 

■  The  Indian  ceased  speaking.  The  fire  still  burned  bright 
and  clear. 

As  the  light  ot  the  evening  grew  fainter,  and  darkness 
closed  over  the  scene,  the  sounds  of  the  wilderness  fell  dis- 
tinctly upon  our  ears — the  ripple  of  the  river,   the  lonely 


The  Red  Man's  offer.  ij  \ 

cry    of   grey   owls,    the    far-off    echo    of  some  pro\Yling 
wolf. 

For  some  minutes  the  silence  of  the  lodge  remained 
unbroken.  I  was  too  much  affected  by  the  story  I  had 
listened  to  to  speak,  but  I  held  out  my  hand  to  the  Sioux 
and  shook  his,  in  silent  token  that  henceforth  we  were 
brothers. 


E  2 


52  Red  Cloud. 


CHAPTER  III. 

To  the  West— Wapiti  in  sight— A  stalk— A  grand  run— The 
sand-hills  in  sight — The  finish — A  noble  beast — A  gorgeous 
sunset — A  vast  landscape — The  Hills  of  Life  and  Death. 

At  dawn  on  the  following  morning  we  departed  from 
the  camp  on  the  Souri,  holding  our  way  towards  the 
west. 

It  was  a  fair  fresh  morning ;  the  summer,  verging  towards 
autumn,  held  already  in  its  nights  and  first  hours  of  day  the 
faint  breathings  of  the  northern  chill  of  frost ;  the  dew  lay 
upon  the  ground  in  silvery  sheen  and  glitter ;  all  was  yet 
green  in  meadow  and  willow  copse  ;  the  current  of  the  river 
ran  with  fresh  and  sparkling  eagerness,  and  from  its  mimic 
rapids  on  the  shallows  little  streaks  of  vapour  rose — an  indi- 
cation that  the  air  of  the  morning  was  cooler  than  the  water 
of  the  river.  Over  all  the  scene,  over  the  hill  and  the  valley, 
on  wood  and  stream  and  meadow,  there  lay  a  sense  of  the 
perfect  rest  and  ceaseless  quiet  of  the  wilderness. 

The  path  which  the  Indian  took  led  for  awhile  along  the 
valley  of  the  SourL     At  times  it  climbed  the  higher  ridges 


To  the  West  53 


that  bordered  on  the  north  and  south  the  alluvial 
meadows  which  fringed  the  river,  and  at  times  it  dived  into 
the  patches  of  poplar  thicket  and  oak-wood  copse  that 
dotted  alike  both  hill  and  valley. 

The  Sioux  was  mounted  on  the  same  horse  which  he  had 
ridden  on  the  previous  day,  but  a  change  had  fallen  on  the 
fortunes  of  Donogh  and  myself.  We  now  bestrode  two 
close-knit  wiry  horses,  whose  sleek  coats  and  rounded  flanks 
showed  that  the  early  summer  had  been  to  them  a  season  of 
rest,  and  that  they  had  profited  by  the  quiet  of  the  last  few 
days  to  inprove  the  "  shining  hours  "  on  the  fertile  meadows 
of  the  Souri.  We  went  along  now  at  an  easy  pace,  half 
walk,  half  trot — a  pace  which  got  over  the  ground  with  little 
fatigue  to  man  and  horse,  and  yet  made  a  long  day's  journey 
out  of  the  travel  hours  of  daylight. 

As  the  morning  wore  towards  mid-day,  and  the  trail  led  at 
times  over  places  which  commanded  awider  view  of  river  and 
valley,  the  Indian  riding  in  front  watched  with  keen  glance 
each  open  space,  and  often  cantered  his  horse  to  the  upper 
level  for  a  better  survey  of  the  higher  plateau.  All  at  once 
he  stopped,  and  lay  low  upon  his  horse.  He  was  some 
distance  ahead  of  us,  but  near  enough  to  be  seen  by  me. 
I  at  once  pulled  up.  Presently  the  Sioux  came  back  to 
where  we  were  standing.  There  were  wapiti  in  sight,  he 
said ;  I  could  go  forward  with  him  on  foot  and  see  them. 
We  left  our  horses  with  Donogh,    and  went  forward  very 


54  Red  Cloud. 


carefully  to  the  spot  from  whence  the  Sioux  had  seen  the 
game.  It  was  at  the  end  of  a  willow  copse.  From  here, 
looking  partly  through  and  partly  over  the  leaves  of  some 
small  aspens,  I  now  saw  at  the  farther  side  of  an  open 
space  which  was  more  than  a  mile  across,  a  herd  of 
large  dun-coloured  animals,  and  high  above  all  stood  one 
stag,  erect  and  stately,  looking  in  our  direction,  as  though 
the  echo  of  our  approach  had  apparently  reached 
him. 

These  were  the  wapiti,  the  giant  red-deer  of  North 
America.  The  monarch  of  the  group  was  evidently  a 
gigantic  specimen  of  his  race,  who,  with  the  true  kingship  of 
nature,  kept  watch  and  ward  over  his  weaker  subjects,  and 
did  not,  as  in  modern  society,  delegate  that  chiefest  function 
of  leadership  to  other  less  favoured  mortals.  And  now  how 
was  this  noble  animal  to  be  reached  ?  The  forest  of  antlers 
fixed  and  rigid  showed  that  his  gaze  was  fixed  too  upon  the 
spot  from  whence  an  attack  might  be  expected. 

The  Indian,  surveying  the  ground  for  a  moment,  whis- 
pered to  me,  "  We  cannot  approach  him  from  this  side  ;  his 
suspicions  are  already  aroused.  And  yet  he  is  a  noble 
prize,  and  well  worth  the  trouble  of  the  chase.  There  is  only 
one  way  it  can  be  done.  Where  the  ground  rises  to  the 
north,  on  the  right  of  where  we  now  stand,  there  is  a  large 
open  expanse  of  prairie,  once  on  that  level  plain  it  would 
rest  with  our  horses  to  reach  him ;  the  few  scattered  clumps 


A  stalk.  55 


of  trees  growing  upon  it  cannot  hide  him  from  our  view ;  he 
must  be  ours.  So  far,  he  has  neither  seen  nor  winded  us ; 
he  has  simply  heard  a  sound ;  he  is  watchful,  not  alarmed. 
Let  us  see  what  can  be  done." 

Having  said  this,  he  drew  back  a  little,  plucked  the  heads 
of  a  few  long  grasses  growing  near,  and  flung  the  dry  light 
seeds  into  the  air.  They  floated  towards  the  east ;  the 
wind  was  from  the  west.  "  Now,"  he  said,  having  noted 
this,  "  we  must  retrace  our  steps  along  the  path  we  have 
come  for  some  distance,  then  it  will  be  possible  to  get  round 
yonder  beast.     We  shall  see." 

So  saying,  we  fell  back  with  easy  and  quiet  footsteps, 
and,  followed  by  Donogh,  were  soon  a  long  way  from  the 
open  glade  and  its  denizens.  Having  gained  the  required 
distance,  the  Sioux  stopped  again  to  detail  to  us  the 
further  plan  of  attack ;  it  was  simply  this.  We  were  to  make 
a  long  de'tour  to  the  south  ;  when  the  right  position  had  been 
attained,  we  would  advance  in  the  direction  of  the  herd, 
emerging  upon  the  clearing  full  in  view  of  the  stag,  whose 
course,  the  Indian  said,  would  when  alarmed  at  once  lead 
up  the  wind,  or  towards  the  west.  This,  however,  was  not  the 
direction  in  which  the  Indian  wanted  him  to  go.  How  then 
was  it  to  be  done  ?     We  shall  presently  see. 

Striking  from  the  trail  towards  the  south,  w^e  pursued  our 
way  through  mixed  open  and  thicket  country  until  the  re- 
quired distance  had  been  gained,  then  bending  round  to  the 


56  Red  Child. 


west  we  gradually  drew  nearer  to  the  open  ground  on 
which  the  wapiti  had  last  been  seen. 

When  the  neighbourhood  of  the  open  space  was  reached 
the  Indian  again  stopped,  and  spoke  his  last  directions  to 
us.  "  Wait  here  until  you  hear  a  wolf  cry  twice ;  at  the 
second  call  ride  straight  to  the  north  at  an  easy  pace. 
When  you  emerge  upon  the  open  you  will  be  in  sight  of 
the  big  stag,  but  a  long  way  from  him;  after  looking  at 
you  for  a  moment  he  will  trot  away  to  your  left;  then 
you  must  ride  straight  up  the  hill  until  you  gain  the  level 
plain  on  the  summit ;  you  will  then  see  the  stag  not  very  far 
from  you.  I  will  be  there  too.  Let  the  pack-horses  follow 
quietly  to  the  upper  ground."  Having  said  this,  the 
Indian  turned  his  horse  to  the  west,  and  was  soon  lost  to 
sight  in  the  thickets  and  undulations  of  the  ground. 

About  a  quarter  of  an  hour  passed;  at  length  we  heard 
the  cry  of  a  wolf  sounding  a  long  way  off  to  north  and 
west.  We  listened  anxiously  for  the  second  signal.  It 
soon  came,  and  as  it  died  away  in  the  silence  of  space  we 
put  our  horses  into  a  trot  and  rode  straightforward.  Two 
minutes'  riding  brought  us  to  the  edge  of  the  prairie,  on  the 
other  side  of  which,  but  now  some  miles  distant,  we  had  first 
looked  upon  the  wapiti.  As  we  entered  upon  the  open 
ground  we  caught  sight  of  the  herd,  still  in  the  same  spot. 
The  chief  had  apparently  ceased  to  reconnoitre,  for  his 
huge  antlers  no  longer  towered  aloft ;  he  was  quietly  feeding 


A  grand  run.  57 


like  the  others.  We  now  rode  at  a  walk  straight  for  the 
herd.  Our  presence  in  their  area  of  vision  was  almost  in- 
stantly detected,  and  all  heads  were  lifted  from  the  ground 
to  examine  the  enemy ;  then  the  leader  led  the  way,  and 
the  band,  following  his  steps,  filed  off  quietly  towards  the 
wind. 

I  was  sorely  disposed  to  follow,  but,  remembering  the 
directions  of  the  Indian  I  put  my  horse  into  a  sharp  canter, 
and  held  straight  for  the  high  ground,  the  edge  of  which  was 
visible  in  our  front.  As  we  crossed  the  centre  of  the  open 
space,  a  shot  rang  out  some  distance  to  our  left,  and  then 
there  came  a  faint  Halloo  !  borne  down  the  west  wind.  Still 
we  held  on  our  course,  and  climbing  the  steep  ridge,  gained 
the  open  prairie  land  above.  As  our  heads  topped  the 
ridge,  we  beheld  a  sight  that  made  our  hearts  beat  fast  with 
excitement.  There,  not  half  a  mile  distant,  going  full  across 
the  plain,  was  the  herd  of  wapiti,  still  close  grouped  together  ; 
behind  them,  and  not  more  than  three  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant from  them,  rode  the  Indian,  his  horse  held  full  within 
his  pace  but  going  at  a  free  gallop  across  a  level  plain, 
on  which  the  grass  grew  short  and  crisp  under  a  horse's 
hoof  I  did  not  need  the  waving  arm  of  the  Indian  to 
tell  me  what  was  to  be  done.  My  horse  seemed  to  realize 
the  work  too ;  I  shook  free  his  rein,  and  was  soon  in  fast 
pursuit  of  the  flying  stag. 

There  are  many  moments  in  wild  life,  the  mmute  sensations 


58  Red  Cloud. 


of  which  are  worth  the  oft-indulged  recollections  of  after 
time— moments  when  every  nerve  is  strained  to  action,  when 
eye  and  ear  and  nostril  are  filled  with  the  sound,  the  sight 
and  the  scent  of  nature's  freshness — and  when  the  animate 
or  inanimate  thing  that  bears  us,  the  horse  or  the  canoe, 
become  sharers  in  the  keenness  of  our  progress,  and  seem  to 
quiver  with  the  excitement  of  our  impetuous  onset;  there  are 
such  moments  in  the  wild  life  of  the  wilderness,  amply  suffi- 
cient to  outweigh  the  hardships  and  privations  of  travel  and 
exposure  in  a  land  where  the  sky  is  the  roof,  and  the 
ground  the  bed,  the  table  and  the  chair  of  the  wayfarer. 

Much  toil  and  trouble  had  befallen  us  since  that  distant 
day  when  we  had  quitted  the  little  roof  of  our  far-away 
home ;  the  goal  aimed  at  had  often  seemed  a  long  way  off, 
and  many  had  been  the  obstacles  that  had  forced  in  between 
us  and  the  wild  life  I  had  sought  to  reach ;  but  now  it  was 
ours — fully,  entirely  ours  ;  and  as  my  horse,  entering  at  once 
into  the  spirit  of  the  chase,  launched  himself  gamely  along 
the  level  sward  I  could  not  repress  a  ringing  cheer,  the 
natural  voice  of  freedom  found,  and  of  wild  life  fully 
realized. 

I  was  now  in  wild  pursuit.  I  directed  my  horse  towards 
a  spot  far  in  advance  of  the  flying  herd;  the  wapiti  in 
turn,  not  slow  to  perceive  the  advance  of  a  fresh  enemy 
from  the  flank,  bent  away  in  the  opposite  direction,  giving 
the  Indian  the  advantages  of  a  similar  advance. upon  an 


"tiM^ 


The  sand-hills  in  sight.  59 

oblique  line  to  cut  them  off,  and  so  cause  them  to  again 
alter  their  course  in  my  favour. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  in  the  hunting  of  wild  game,  that  if  a 
particular  animal  of  a  herd  be  selected  for  pursuit,  even 
though  he  may  at  the  time  be  in  the  midst  of  a  number  of 
other  animals  all  flying  from  the  hunter,  nevertheless,  the  one 
marked  out  as  the  special  quarry  will  quickly  realize  that  he 
alone  is  the  object  of  the  hunter's  aim,  and  he  will  soon 
become  the  solitary  one,  deserted  by  his  companions,  who 
seem  to  understand  his  position.  Such  was  now  the  case. 
One  by  one  the  meaner  ones  in  the  little  herd  had 
dropped  off  to  the  right  or  to  left,  and  ere  two  miles  had 
been  ridden  the  monarch  stag  pursued  alone  his  wild 
career. 

His  pace  was  still  the  long  rapid  stride  or  trot  peculiar 
to  his  breed.  To  the  inexperienced  eye  it  looked  a  rate  of 
speed  which  could  be  easily  overtaken  by  a  horse;  but, 
nevertheless,  although  a  good  horse  will  always  outrun  a 
wapiti,  it  takes  both  time  and  open  country  to  enable  him 
to  do  so.  TJie  long  swinging  trot  is  really  the  wapiti's  best 
pace.  When  he  is  forced  to  change  it  for  a  gallop,  his  end 
is  near — his  course  is  almost  run. 

Right  on  over  the  level  prairie  held  the  stag,  and  at  full 
speed  we  followed  his  flying  steps.  The  prairie  lay  an 
almost  unbroken  level  for  six  or  seven  miles,  then  a  succes- 
sion of  sand-ridges  appeared  in  view,  and  farther  still  rose 


6o  Red  Cloud. 


the  blue  outlines  of  more  distant  hills.  It  was  toward  this 
refuge  that  the  stag  now  held  his  way. 

When  the  last  of  his  little  band  had  fallen  from  him,  and 
he  was  alone  with  his  pursuers,  it  seemed  that  his  energies 
only  reached  their  fullest  power ;  for,  more  than  half  way 
across  the  plain  he  not  only  kept  his  distance  in  the  race, 
but  increased  it  by  many  lengths ;  nor  did  he  appear  to 
labour  in  his  stride,  as  with  head  thrown  forward,  and  antlers 
lying  back  almost  upon  his  haunches,  he  spurned  behind 
him  the  light  soil  of  the  plains. 

With  rapid  survey  the  Indian  scanned  the  hills  towards 
which  his  quarry  was  now  leading,  and  his  practised 
eye  soon  caught  the  features  of  the  land,  while  he 
still  maintained  the  same  headlong  speed.  We  knew 
that  if  the  stag  once  gained  those  ridges  of  light  bro\ATi 
sand  his  chances  of  final  escape  would  be  great  The 
yielding  surface  would  give  the  spreading  cloven  hoof  the 
support  which  it  would  refuse  to  the  more  solid  pressure 
of  the  horse. 

In  all  these  things  nature  never  fails  to  instruct  her  crea- 
tures in  the  means  of  escape  she  provides  for  them  in  their 
hours  of  trouble.  The  hare  seeks  the  hill  when  coursed  by 
the  grey-hound,  because  the  great  length  of  her  hind 
legs  gives  her  an  increased  power  to  traverse  with  rapidity 
rising  ground. 

When  the  falcon  is  abroad,  the  birds  know  that  their 


Nature  teaches  her  creatures,  6 1 

wings  are  their  Weakest  refuge,  lying  close  hid  on  moorland 
or  in  cover. 

The  moose  makes  his  place  of  rest  for  the  day  to  the 
leeward  of  his  track  during  the  night,  so  that  he  may  have 
the  wind  of  every  hunter  who  follows  in  his  trail. 

It  is  in  that  acute  knowledge  of  all  these  various  resources, 
instincts,  and  habits,  possessed  by  the  wild  game  which  they 
pursue,  that  the  Indian  hunter  surpasses  all  other  hunters 
of  the  earth. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  a  good  Indian  hunter  can 
anticipate  every  instinct  of  the  animal  he  is  in  quest  of. 

We  have  seen  in  the  present  instance  how  completely  the 
Sioux  had  forced  the  herd  of  wapiti  to  take  the  upper  level. 
This  he  had  achieved  by  knowing  exactly  where  they  would 
run  upon  being  first  disturbed,  and  then  placing  himself  in 
such  a  position  that  they  were  enabled  to  scent  his  presence 
before  they  could  see  that  he  meant  to  follow  them.  By 
this  means  he  caused  them  to  abandon  the  partly  wooded 
country  before  they  had  become  thoroughly  frightened  by  a 
closer  attack. 

Under  the  different  conditions  of  suspicion,  fear,  and 
absolute  danger,  wild  animals,  like  human  creatures,  show 
widely  different  tactics.  It  is  these  finer  distinctions  of 
habit  and  emotion  that  the  red  man  has  so  thoroughly 
mastered,  and  it  is  this  knowledge  that  enables  him  almost 
invariably  to  outwit  the  keenest  sense  of  animal  cunning. 


62  Red  Cloud. 


In  most  of  the  wisdom  of  civilized  man  he  is  only  a  child. 
His  perceptions  of  things  relating  to  social  or  political  life 
are  bounded  by  narrow  limits.  But  in  the  work  of  the 
wilderness,  in  all  things  that  relate  to  the  conquest  of  savage 
nature,  be  it  grizzly  bear,  foaming  rapid,  or  long  stretch  of 
icy  solitude,  he  is  all  unmatched  in  skill,  in  daring,  and  in 
knowledge. 

But  while  we  have  been  speaking  thus  of  Indian  skill  in 
the  chase,  our  stag  has  been  nearing  with  rapid  strides  the 
sand-hills  of  his  refuge. 

We  had  now  drawn  closer  to  each  other  in  the  pursuit, 
and  it  seemed  that  hunters  and  hunted  were  straining  their 
every  nerve,  the  one  to  attain,  the  other  to  prevent,  the 
gaining  of  this  refuge. 

I  had  thought  that  the  horse  ridden  by  the  Sioux  had 
been  going  at  its  utmost  speed.  But  in  this  I  was  mistaken, 
as  the  next  instant  proved. 

All  at  once  he  shot  forward,  laying  himself  out  over  the 
prairie  as  I  had  never  before  seen  any  horse  do. 

He  was  soon  close  upon  the  flying  foosteps  of  the  stag, 
which  now,  finding  himself  almost  outpaced,  broke  from  his 
long-held  steady  trot  into  a  short  and  laboured  gallop,  while 
his  great  antlers  moved  from  side  to  side,  as  he  v/atched 
over  his  flanks  the  progress  of  his  pursuer 

The  sand-hills  were  but  a  short  half-mile  distant. 
Another  minute  would  decide  the  contest.    Just  when  I 


The  Sioux  was  no.v  al;-no;;t  at  the  llank  of  the 


The  finish.  d^^ 


thought  the  stag  must  win,  I  saw  the  Sioux  urge  his  horse 
to  a  still  faster  effort.  He  was  now  almost  at  the  fliiik  of 
the  wapiti.  Then  I  saw  him  with  the  quickness  of  lightning 
unsling  his  short  bow,  and  place  an  arrow  on  the  string. 
One  sharp  draw,  apparently  without  any  aim,  and  the  shaft 
sped  upon  its  way,  piercing  the  heart  of  the  giant  stag, 
which,  with  one  great  leap  forward  into  space,  rolled  dead 
upon  the  prairie. 

He  was  a  noble  specimen  of  those  gigantic  animals  now 
growing  scarce  on  the  American  prairies. 

From  fore  hoof  to  tip  of  shoulders  he  stood  seventeen 
hands  high.  His  antlers  were  the  finest  I  ever  saw.  They 
branched  from  his  frontlet  in  perfect  symmetry  and  regularity, 
each  tier  was  the  exact  counterpart  of  the  opposite  one. 
From  brow  to  tip  they  measured  more  than  five  feet,  and 
their  ribbed  sides  shone  like  roughened  bronze,  while  the 
strong  tips  were  polished  ivory.  Standing  breathless  beside 
my  breathless  horse,  I  looked  on  the  dead  animal  in  mute 
admiration,  while  the  Sioux  set  to  at  the  more  practical  work 
of  getting  some  meat  for  dinner. 

"You  may  well  look  at  him,"  he  said  to  me;  "  he  is  the 
finest  of  his  tribe  I  have  yet  seen." 

"It  is  almost  a  pity  we  have  killed  such  a  noble  beast," 
I  replied ;  "  to  lay  such  a  proud  head  low." 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  Indian.  "  But  it  is  in  such  things 
that  we  learn  the  great  work  of  war.     To  ride  a  chase  to 


64  Red  Cloud. 


the  end ;  to  shoot  an  arrow  fast  and  true  after  a  six-mile 
gallop  ;  to  watch  every  turn  of  the  game  enemy,  and  to  note 
every  stride  of  the  steed  ;  to  avoid  the  deadly  charge  of  tne 
buffalo,  and  to  wheel  upon  his  flank  as  he  blindly  pursues 
his  impetuous  onset ;  to  stand  steady  before  the  advance  of 
the  savage  grizzly  bear,  and  to  track  the  wary  moose  with 
silent  footfall  into  the  willow  thickets,— these  are  tlie  works 
by  which,  in  times  of  peace,  the  Indian  learns  his  toil  in  the 
deeper  game  of  war. 

"  And  then,  the  health,  the  strength,  the  freshness  of 
these  things ;  the  pleasure  they  give  us  in  after-time  when 
by  the  camp  fire  in  the  evening  we  run  back  in  memory 
some  day  of  bygone  chase.  Well,  now  we  have  other  work 
to  do.  This  run  has  taken  us  far  from  our  trail  The  sun 
gets  low  upon  the  plain.     We  must  away." 

So  taking  with  us  a  few  tit-bits  of  the  wapiti,  we  retraced 
our  steps  to  where  the  pack-horses  had  been  left  with 
Donogh  when  I  joined  the  pursuit,  and  then  rode  briskly 
towards  the  now  declining  sun. 

By  sunset  we  came  in  sight  of  a  small  creek,  on  the  banks 
of  which  grew  a  few  dark  pine-trees.  Beneath  one  of  these 
pines  we  made  our  camp  ;  the  horses  found  good  pasturage 
along  the  edge  of  the  creek,  and  from  a  high  sand  dune 
which  rose  behind  the  camp  the  Sioux  pointed  out  to  us  our 
course  for  the  morrow. 

As  we  stood  together  on  the  summit  of  the  sand  ridge, 


A  gorgeous  sunset.  65 

the  scene  that  lay  to  the  west  was  enough  to  make  even 
the  oldest  voyageur  pause  in  wonder  as  he  beheld  it. 
Many  a  long  mile  away,  over  a  vast  stretch  of  prairie,  the 
western  sky  blazed  in  untold  hues  of  gold,  saffron,  orange, 
green,  and  purple.  Down  to  the  distant  rim  of  the  prairie, 
the  light  shone  clear  and  distinct.  No  fog,  no  smoke 
blurred  the  vast  circle  of  the  sky-line.  Never  before  had 
we  realized  at  a  single  glance  the  vastness  of  earthly  space. 
The  lustrous  sky  made  dim  the  intervening  distance,  and 
added  tenfold  to  the  sense  of  immensity. 

The  Indian  pointed  his  finger  full  towards  the  spot  where 
the  sun  had  gone  down. 

"  There  lies  our  course,"  he  said.  "  Would  that,  like  yon 
sunset,  the  prairie  land  circled  the  world,  then  we  might  for 
ever  travel  into  the  west." 

*'  Well,  master,  we're  in  the  big  wilderness,  surely,"  said 
Donogh,  as  he  stood  by  my  side  watching  intently  this  vast 
ocean  of  grass,  slowly  sinking  into  night  beneath  the  many- 
hued  splendours  of  the  western  skies.  "When  we  used  to 
sit  together  on  the  top  of  Seefin,  talking  of  the  lands  be- 
yond the  seas,  I  didn't  think  that  one  short  year  would  carry 
us  so  far." 

"  How  do  you  like  it,  Donogh  ?  "  I  asked  him. 

"  Like  it,  sir !  I  like  it  as  long  as  it  holds  you  in  it. 
And  I  like  it  for  all  the  fine  wild  birds  and  beasts  it  has. 
But  I'd  like  it  better  if  it  had  a  few  more  hills,  just  to  remind 

F 


66  Red  Cloud. 


me  of  Coolrue,  and  the  rest  of  the  old  mountains  about 
Glencar ! " 

"  We'll  come  to  the  hills  all  in  good  time,"  I  replied. 
*'  There,  beyond  where  you  see  the  sun  has  gone  down, 
twenty  long  days'  riding  from  here  you  will  see  hills  that 
will  make  Seefin  and  Coolrue  seem  only  hillocks  in  com- 
parison—mountains where  the  snow  never  melts." 

"  What  name  do  the  Indians  call  the  Rocky  Mountains  ?  " 
I  asked  Red  Cloud,  who  was  listening  to  our  conversation. 

"  The  Blackfeet  call  them  the  Ridge  of  the  World,"  he 
answered.  My  people  named  them  the  Mountains  of  the 
Setting  Sun ;  and  the  Assineboines,  who  dwell  at  their  feet, 
call  them  the  Hills  of  Life  and  Death,  because  they  say 
that  the  spirits  of  the  dead  climb  them  to  look  back  on  life, 
and  forward  on  the  happy  hunting-grounds." 

"  Do  you  hear,  Donogh  ?  "  I  said. 

He  laughed  as  he  answered, — 

"  Who  knows  but  we'll  see  Glencar  from  there,  sir  ?  ** 


67 


CHAPTER  IV. 

We  reach  the  hills  of  the  Wolverine — Something  moves  far  out 
upon  the  plains — The  wounded  Cree — His  story — Adventure 
with  a  grizzly  bear — Left  alone — A  long  crawl  for  life — Hun- 
ger, thirst,  and  travail— A  grizzly  again — "  The  Great  Spirit, 
like  an  eagle,  looks  down  upon  the  prairie" — Saved — 
Watched. 

In  five  days'  easy  travel,  riding  each  day  at  a  kind  of  amble, 
half  trot  half  walk,  we  reached  the  hills  of  the  Wolverine, 
a  low  range  of  ridges  surrounded  upon  all  sides  by  a  vast 
plain.  We  pitched  camp  close  beside  a  small  lake  which 
was  situated  nigh  the  western  extremity  of  the  group  of  hills, 
and  from  the  top  of  a  ridge  behind  the  lodge  the  eye  ranged 
over  an  expanse  the  greater  part  of  which  was  destitute  of 
trees. 

It  was  the  Indian's  wont  every  evening,  after  camp  had 
been  made,  to  make  a  long  circuit  around  the  camping- 
place  armed  with  his  fowling-piece.  From  these  excursions 
he  usually  returned  at  dusk,  bringing  with  him  a  brace  of 
wild  ducks  or  a  few  prairie  grouse  for  the  morning  meal. 

On  the  evening  of  our  arrival  at  the  Touchwood  Hills  he 

F    2 


6S  Red  Cloud. 


and  I  set  out  as  usual  upon  this  evening  ramble,  leaving 
Donogh  to  look  after  the  camp.  Ascending  the  ridge  I 
have  spoken  of,  we  surveyed  intently  the  plain  which 
stretched  from  the  base  of  the  hill  on  which  we  stood  until 
it  was  lost  to  sight  in  the  western  horizon.  It  was  so  vast 
a  prospect  that  the  eye  wandered  over  it  for  a  length  of 
time  ere  it  could  note  even  the  nearer  portion  that  lay  well 
within  the  range  of  vision.  The  Sioux  took  a  long  survey 
of  the  scene.  Shading  his  eyes  with  his  hands,  he  slowly 
traversed  the  great  circle  of  the  horizon;  then  his  gaze 
sought  the  nearer  landscape,  passing  along  it  in  a  manner 
that  left  no  portion  of  the  field  of  sight  unscanned.  As 
thus  he  looked,  his  slow-moving  eyes  all  at  once  became 
steadily  fixed  upon  one  object  set  within  the  mid-distance 
of  the  scene.  To  an  ordinary  eye  it  appeared  a  speck,  a 
rock,  or  a  bush,  or  perhaps  some  stray  wolf  roving  the  plain 
in  search  of  food ;  to  the  quick  eye  of  the  Sioux  it  was  none 
of  these  things.  It  moved  very  slowly  in  the  landscape  j 
it  appeared  to  stop  at  times  and  then  to  go  on  again,  keeping 
generally  the  same  direction.  It  was  slowly  approaching 
the  Wolverine  Hills.  At  last  the  Sioux  seemed  to  satisfy 
himself  as  to  the  nature  of  this  slow-moving  object.  Quitting 
the  summit,  he  descended  with  rapid  steps  to  the  camp, 
caught  his  horse,  told  me  to  secure  mine,  passed  a 
piece  of  leather  into  his  mouth  as  bridle,  and  springing 
upon   his  bare  back  and  calling  upon  me  to  follow,   set 


IIi»  eye.  all  at  o„ec  beenme  fixed  ..,,„„  one  ol.j.ct  .-t  «ithin  the  ■"«"!?«"«■ 


Something  moves  far  out  iipoji  the  plaitts.        69 

off  at  a  gallop  into  the  plain  in  the  direction  of  the  strange 
object. 

It  yet  wanted  about  half  an  hour  of  sunset,  and  by  riding 
hard  we  would  reach  the  spot  ere  night  had  closed  in  ;  for 
darkness  comes  quickly  on  the  heels  of  the  day  in  the 
prairie,  and  though  a  lustrous  after-glow  lives  sometimes  in 
the  western  sky,  the  great  plain  instantly  grows  dim  when 
the  sun  has  gone  beneath  the  horizon.  From  the  lower 
level  of  the  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  no  sign  was  visible 
of  the  object  which  he  had  seen  from  the  summit ;  but  this 
mattered  little  to  the  Sioux,  whose  practised  eye  had  taken 
in  the  line  of  direction  by  other  objects,  and  his  course 
was  now  held  straight  upon  his  mark. 

When  we  reached  the  neighbourhood  of  the  spot  in  which 
he  had  last  seen  the  moving  object,  he  pulled  up  his  horse 
and  looked  around  him  on  every  side.  There  was  nothing 
to  be  seen.  The  plain  lay  around  us  motionless  and  silent, 
already  beginning  to  grow  dark  in  the  decreasing  light.  A 
man  gifted  with  less  acute  sight  would  have  rested  satisfied 
that  the  moving  object  which  he  had  looked  upon  was  a 
wild  animal — a  wolf  or  a  wolverine,  whose  sharp  sense  of 
sound  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  man,  had  caused  it  to 
seek  concealment ;  but  the  Indian  had  noticed  certain 
peculiarities  in  the  object  that  led  him  to  form  other  con- 
clusions regarding  its  nature.  In  a  loud,  clear  voice  he 
called  out  in  an  Indian  lan2;ua£re  that  he  was  a  friend,  and 


70  Red  Cloud. 


that  whoever  was  near  need  have  no  fear  to  discover 
himself. 

"  It  is  the  Red  Cloud  who  speaks,"  he  said.  "  No  In- 
dian need  fear  to  meet  him."  Scarcely  had  he  thus  spoken 
when  from  a  dry  watercourse  near  at  hand  there  rose  up  a 
figure  which  seemed  in  the  twilight  to  be  that  of  a  man  who 
was  unable  to  lift  himself  fully  upon  his  feet.  He  was 
distant  about  one  hundred  yards  from  us,  and  it  was  evident 
from  the  manner  in  which  he  drew  himself  out  of  the  de- 
pression in  which  he  had  lain  concealed  from  sight,  that 
he  had  difficulty  in  making  any  movement.  As  the  figure 
emerged  from  the  hollow,  it  resumed  the  crouching  attitude 
which  had  been  first  noticed.  We  were  soon  beside  this 
strange  apparition.  It  proved  to  be  a  young  Indian  of  the 
Cree  nation,  a  man  so  spent  and  worn,  so  thin  in  face  and 
figure,  and  so  tattered  in  dress,  that  he  scarcely  resembled  a 
human  being.  He  was  utterly  unable  to  rise  from  a  kneel- 
ing position.  One  arm  hung  at  his  side,  broken  below  the 
elbow ;  one  leg  was  painfully  dragged  after  him  along  the 
ground ;  his  leather  dress  hanging  in  tatters  upon  his  back 
showed  many  cuts  and  bruises  upon  his  body.  The  Sioux 
spoke  a  few  words  to  this  wTetched  object ;  but  the  man 
answered  in  such  a  broken  voice  and  rambling  manner 
that  little  could  be  gleaned  from  what  he  said. 

The  Sioux  having  dismounted  for  a  better  examination 
of  this  maimed  creature,  now  lifted  him  without  difficulty 


The  ivoundcd  Cree.  71 


on  to  his  own  horse ;  then  mounting  himself,  we  set  off  at 
an  easy  pace  for  the  camp.  The  man  now  appeared  quite 
senseless,  his  head  and  feet  hanging  down  the  horse's  sides 
like  that  of  a  dead  body.  The  night  had  quite  closed  in 
when  we  rounded  the  base  of  the  outer  line  of  hills  and 
came  full  into  the  firelight  of  the  camp.  Donogh  was 
astonished  to  see  us  bearing  back  to  camp  an  apparently 
lifeless  body,  which  was  immediately  taken  from  the  horse 
and  laid  on  the  ground  before  the  fire. 

The  warmth  of  the  fire,  and  a  drink  of  hot  tea  which  was 
soon  given  him,  brought  consciousness  back  again  to  the 
poor  creature.  For  a  while  he  looked  wildly  and  vacantly 
around,  seemed  slowly  to  take  in  the  new  state  of  existence 
that  had  so  quickly  come  to  him,  then  he  seized  the  vessel 
of  tea  that  Donogh  was  holding  near  his  lips  and  drained 
it  to  the  dregs.  Some  time  elapsed,  however,  ere  he  could 
answer  in  a  collected  manner  the  questions  put  to  him  by 
the  Sioux,  but  by  degrees  the  following  story  was  elicited. 
It  ran  thus  : — 

*'  More  than  forty  days  ago  I  quitted  a  camp  of  Crees  near 
the  Lone  Mountain  prairie  to  go  south  on  the  war-trail, 
there  were  fourteen  of  us  in  all ;  our  horses  were  fat,  and  we 
travelled  fast.  On  the  fifth  day  we  reached  the  woody 
hills.  There  were  no  Indians  near,  and  we  began  to  hunt 
buffalo,  which  were  numerous  over  all  the  prairies  south  of 
the  Qu'appelle  river. 


72  R^d  Cloud. 


"  It  was  about  the  tenth  day  that  one  of  our  party,  who 
had  gone  out  with  the  horses  in  the  morning,  came  back  to 
camp  saying  that  he  had  struck  the  trail  of  a  large  grizzly 
bear  some  litde  distance  from  where  we  lay.  Four  of  us 
started  out  with  him  to  hunt  the  bear ;  I  was  one  of  them. 
We  soon  str\ick  the  trail.  The  bear  had  crossed  a  ravine 
and  ascended  a  steep  bank  beyond ;  the  side  of  this  bank 
was  covered  with  cotton-wood  thicket.  We  followed  the 
trail  right  into  the  thicket ;  we  were  all  on  foot.  All  at 
once  we  heard,  as  we  walked  in  file  along  the  trail,  a  heavy 
tread  sounding  close  at  hand,  and  a  loud  breaking  of 
branches  and  dry  sticks.  Then  appeared  in  front  the  object 
of  our  chase.  He  was  a  very  large  grizzly,  and  so  wicked 
.  that  he  did  not  wait  for  us  to  attack  him,  but  came  all  at 
once  full  upon  us. 

"  I  stood  second  in  the  line.  The  foremost  brave  sprang 
aside  to  enable  me  to  fire,  and  also  to  get  clear  of  our  line 
himself.  I  levelled  my  gun  and  fired  full  upon  the  huge 
beast ;  one  or  two  other  shots  sounded  about  me,  but  I  saw 
through  the  smoke  that  the  bear  had  not  been  killed  by 
them — he  was  advancing  right  upon  me.*  I  stepped  back 
on  one  side,  with  the  intention  of  running  until  I  could 
again  load  my  gun,  but  at  that  instant  the  upraised  root  of 
a  tree  caught  my  foot,  and  1  fell  full  upon  the  ground  almost 
at  the  feet  of  the  advancing  animal,  now  doubly  maddened 
by  the  wounds  he  had  received.     I  had  only  time  to  draw 


Adventure  zvith  a  grizzly  bear.  73 

my  knife  from  my  belt  when  he  was  full  upon  me.  I  struck 
blindly  at  him,  but  it  was  no  use,  his  claws  and  his  teeth 
were  fastened  in  my  flesh ;  I  was  bruised,  wounded  and  torn 
ere  I  could  repeat  the  blow  with  my  knife.  Then  I  heard 
two  or  three  shots  above  my  head,  a  heavy  crushing  weight 
fell  upon  me,  and  I  knew  no  more. 

"  When  next  I  knew  what  was  passing  around  me  every- 
thing was  changed.  I  was  a  helpless  cripple ;  my  leg  and 
my  arm  had  both  been  broken ;  I  was  torn  all  over  my  body. 
My  companions  had  carried  me  back  to  camp,  but  what 
could  they  do  with  me  ?  They  were  all  braves  whose  work 
is  war  and  the  chase ;  our  women  and  old  men  lay  far  away, 
six  long  days'  riding,  ten  easy  days'  travel.  Besides  we  were 
on  the  war-path.  At  any  moment  the  Blackfeet  might  appear. 
I  would  be  worse  than  useless  to  my  friends,  I  would  be  a 
burden  to  them.  I  read  their  thoughts  in  their  faces,  and 
my  mind  was  made  up. 

"  *  Dry  plenty  of  buffalo  meat,'  I  said  to  them  ;  *  put  it 
where  my  hand  can  reach  it ;  lay  me  by  the  edge  of  the 
stream  of  water ;  then  go  away  and  leave  me  to  die  here. 
Destroy  the  trail  as  you  go  away,  so  that  no  one  will  ever 
find  the  spot,  and  my  scalp  will  not  hang  in  the  lodge  of  a 
BlackfooL' 

"  They  did  as  I  told  them ;  they  put  beside  me  a  pile  of 
dry  buffalo  meat ;  they  loaded  my  gun  and  left  it  at  my  right 
hand,  so  that  I  could  defend  myself  against  a  wild  beast 


74  Red  Cloud. 


while  my  life  lasted ;  and  they  laid  my  blanket  by  the  edge 
of  a  stream  of  water,  so  that  I  could  get  drink  without 
moving;  then  one  by  one  they  wished  me  good-bye,  and  I 
saw  them  depart  for  ever. 

"  It  was  the  middle  of  the  day  when  they  thus  left  me. 
When  they  were  all  gone  and  I  could  no  more  hear  the 
sound  of  man  or  horse,  I  felt  very  lonely,  and  wished  to  die. 
I  saw  the  daylight  growing  dim  and  the  night  coming  down 
through  the  trees.  Then  I  felt  hungry,  and  taking  some  meat 
from  the  pile  beside  me,  I  ate  it,  drank  some  water,  and 
slept. 

"When  I  awoke  next  morning  I  felt  better.  My  leg  and 
arm  were  both  useless,  but  my  flesh-wounds  were  beginning 
to  heal,  and  I  did  not  seem  so  weak  as  I  had  been.  That 
day  passed,  and  another,  and  another.  I  began  to  get  ac- 
customed to  the  solitude,  and  to  watch  everj'thing  around 
me.  Two  whiskey  jacks  came  and  sat  looking  at  me  on  a 
branch  close  to  my  head.  I  threw  small  bits  of  meat  to 
them,  and  at  last  they  came  so  close  that  they  took  the 
food  from  my  hand  and  hopped  over  my  body.  I  was  glad 
to  have  them,  they  were  company  to  me  during  the  long 
daylight  hours.  About  ten  days  passed,  and  I  was  still 
alive — alive,  and  gaining  strength  day  by  day.  What  was 
to  be  done  ?  I  looked  at  my  store  of  meat,  and  saw  that  it 
could  not  last  more  than  ten  days ;  after  that  time  I  would 
starve  to  death.     I  began  to  think  very  anxiously  on  what 


A  long  craivlfor  life.  75 

I  could  do  to  save  myself  from  this  death.  To  stay  where 
I  was,  meant  to  die  a  lingering  death  after  ten  days.  I 
thought  I  would  try  to  move  and  practise  myself  in  moving 
even  on  my  hands  and  knees.  Each  day  I  crept  more  and 
more  about  the  thicket  in  which  I  had  been.  I  crept  to 
the  edge  of  it  and  looked  out  over  the  plains.  They  lay 
around  me  to  the  north  and  west  far  as  my  eye  could  reach. 
They  never  seemed  so  large  to  me  before.  I  saw  buffalo 
feeding  a  long  way  off  towards  the  north ;  that  was  the  way 
we  had  come.  My  camp  lay  away  in  that  direction — but 
so  far.  I  thought  over  the  direction  in  my  mind ;  I  remem- 
bered all  the  streams  we  had  crossed,  the  places  where 
we  had  camped,  the  hills  and  the  valleys  we  had  passed : 
it  seemed  as  long  as  a  dream  at  night. 

"  For  four  days  I  kept  moving  to  and  fro,  crawling  on 
hands  and  knees  about  the  thicket.  I  began  to  go  farther 
and  farther  away  from  it,  and  each  day  I  found  I  could 
move  faster.  I  had  the  use  of  one  leg  and  one  arm  quite 
strong ;  the  other  arm  was  sound  to  the  elbow,  but  the 
hand  was  helpless ;  my  left  leg  had  been  broken  below  the 
knee.  I  felt  much  pain  when  I  moved,  but  that  did  not 
matter  ;  anything  was  better  than  lying  in  the  trees  waiting 
for  death.  On  the  sixth  day  after  this  I  put  together  all  that 
remained  of  my  dry  meat  store,  and  with  nothing  but  my 
knife  in  my  belt  (I  never  could  have  carried  my  gun),  I 
crawled  forth  from  the  camp  in  which  I  had  lain  during 


y6  Red  Cloud. 


so  many  days.  I  held  my  slow  way  towards  the  north 
almost  along  the  same  line  we  had  travelled  but  a  month 
earlier,  when  we  swept  so  swiftly  along'over  the  prairie. 

"  For  many  hours  I  plodded  on.  It  seemed  as  though  I 
could  never  get  out  of  sight  of  the  thicket ;  often  I  looked 
back,  and  there  it  was  still  close  to  me ;  at  last  the  night 
hid  it  from  sight,  and  I  stretched  my  aching  limbs  upon  the 
ground. 

"All  next  day  I  went  on.  About  noon  I  came  to  a  stream, 
drank  deeply,  and  washed  my  wounds  in  the  cool  water ; 
again  I  crawled  on  towards  the  north,  and  slept  again  in 
the  middle  of  the  plain. 

"  By  the  fifth  day  I  had  finished  the  last  scrap  of  my  meat 
I  now  looked  about  anxiously  for  the  bodies  of  buffalo  that 
had  been  killed.  On  our  journey  down  we  had  killed 
many  buffaloes,  and  I  was  now  passing  over  ground  where 
we  had  hunted  twenty  days  before ;  but  it  is  one  thing  to 
look  for  buffalo  on  horseback,  and  another  thing  to  seek 
for  it  lying  level  upon  the  ground.  I  could  not  see  far 
before  or  around  me  ;  sometimes  1  crawled  to  the  top  of  a 
hillock  for  a  wider  survey  of  the  plain.  The  night  came,  I  lay 
down  without  food  or  water.  Next  morning  I  began  to  move 
as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see,  I  made  for  a  aiiiall 
hill  that  stood  a  little  to  one  side  of  my  Hne ;  from  its  top 
I  saw,  a  long  distance  away  from  my  course,  a  small  black 
specL     I  knew  it  to  be  a  dead  buffalo.     I  made  for  it,  but 


Hunger,  thirst,  and  travail.  yy 

it  was  noon  when  I  had  reached  it.  I  ate  a  little,  then  cut 
with  my  knife  as  much  as  I  could  carry,  and  set  out  to  find 
water,  for  I  was  very  thirsty.  I  held  on  in  the  direction  of  a 
valley  I  had  noticed  from  the  top  of  a  hill.  It  was  sun- 
set when  I  got  to  it,  and  to  my  great  joy  I  found  water; 
then  I  ate  a  great  deal  of  my  meat  and  drank  plentifully  of 
the  water,  and  lay  down  to  sleep,  happy. 

"  The  next  morning  I  ate  and  drank  again,  and  then  set 
out  lonce  more.  Day  by  day  I  went  on;  sometimes  I 
dragged  myself  all  day  along,  starving  and  thirsty ;  some- 
times I  had  to  lie  down  at  night  with  burning  throat ;  some- 
times I  came  to  a  buffalo,  so  long  killed  that  of  his  flesh 
the  wolves  had  left  nothing  except  the  skin  and  muscle  of 
the  head  and  hide.  At  night  when  I  had  got  no  food 
during  the  day  I  used  to  dream  of  old  times,  when  the 
camp  had  feasted  upon  freshly-killed  buffalo,  when  the 
squaws  had  dressed  the  tongues;  and  at  other  times  I  thought 
I  had  some  moose  noses  before  me,  and  was  seated  in  my 
lodge  while  the  briskets  were  being  boiled  over  the  fire  in 
the  centre  ;  and  then  my  lips  would  open  and  close,  and  I 
heard  my  teeth  strike  together  as  though  I  had  been  eating, 
and  I  woke  to  find  I  was  weak  and  hungry,  and  that  only 
the  great  dark  prairie  lay  around  me. 

"At  last  I  lost  all  count  of  the  days.  I  only  thought  of 
three  things — food,  drink,  and  the  course  I  had  to  travel. 
My  pain  had  become  so  much  my  life  that  I  had  ceased  to 


78  Red  Cloud. 


think  about  it  One  day  I  was  as  usual  dragging  myself 
along  when  I  noticed  right  in  front  of  me  an  object  that 
filled  my  heart  with  terror.  Before  me,  over  the  ridge  of  an 
incline  which  I  was  ascending,  appeared  two  small  pointed 
objects.  They  were  sharply  seen  against  the  sky  over  the 
rim  of  the  ridge.  I  knew  instantly  what  they  were.  I 
knew  that  under  these  two  small  pointed  objects  there  were 
the  head  and  body  of  a  grizzly  bear.  He  was  lying  there 
right  in  my  onward  path,  watching  for  buffalo.  I  knew 
that  he  had  seen  me  while  afar,  and  that  he  now  awaited 
my  approach,  thinking  that  I  was  some  wild  animal  of  whose 
capture  he  was  certain. 

"  I  laid  myself  flat  upon  the  ground,  and  then  I  drew 
away  to  the  left,  and  when  I  had  gained  what  I  had  deemed 
sufficient  distance  I  again  tried  to  ascend  the  incline  ;  but 
again,  full  in  my  front,  I  saw  the  dreaded  pointed  tips  over 
the  prairie  ridge.  The  bear  had  seen  me  as  I  moved  to 
the  left,  and  he  too  had  gone  in  that  direction  to  intercept 
me  on  the  brow  ot  the  hilL  Again  I  laid  myself  flat  upon 
the  prairie  and  crawled  away  to  one  side,  this  time  taking 
care  not  to  attempt  to  cross  the  ridge  until  I  had  gone  a 
long  way  to  the  flank.  Creeping  very  cautiously  up  the 
hill,  I  looked  over  the  ridge.  The  bear  was  nowhere  to 
be  seen.  I  made  all  haste  to  leave  behind  the  spot  so 
nearly  fatal  to  me,  and  continuing  to  crawl  long  after  night 
had  fallen,  I  at  length  lay  down  to  sleep,  feeling  more  tu-ed, 


,  The  Great  Spirit,  like  an  eagle,  looks  on  the  prairie."  79 

and  hungry,  and  exhausted,  than  I  had  yet  been  since  I  set 
out  first  upon  my  long  journey.  That  was  only  a  few  days 
since.  Three  days  ago  I  came  in  sight  of  these  hills,  they 
filled  my  heart  with  hope  ;  but  only  last  night  I  had  again 
to  lie  exposed  to  a  great  danger — a  band  of  Indians  passed 
me  making  for  these  hills.  I  could  hear  them  speaking  to 
one  another  as  they  went  by;  they  were  Assineboine 
Indians  on  the  war-path  ;  they  were  so  close  that  some  of 
their  horses  scented  me,  for  I  heard  one  say, '  Fool,  it  is  only 
a  wolf  you  start  from.' 

"This  morning  I  almost  gave  up  hope  of  ever  reaching 
succour.  I  knew  my  people  must  have  left  these  hills,  or 
else  the  Stonies  could  not  have  been  there.  Then  I  thought 
that  some  of  their  scouts  would  be  sure  to  see  me  on  the 
plain,  and  that  it  would  be  better  to  lie  down  in  some  water- 
course and  die  there,  than  to  die  at  the  hands  of  my 
enemies  and  have  my  scalp  hung  at  the  mane  of  an  Assine- 
boine's  horse ;  but  when  I  thought  of  all  that  I  had  gone 
through — of  how,  when  I  had  been  dying  of  thirst,  water 
had  lain  in  my  track — of  how  I  had  found  food  when  starv- 
ing,— I  took  hope  again,  and  said  to  myself,  '  The  Great 
Spirit  sees  me.  Like  an  eagle  in  the  mid- day,  His  eye  is  cast 
down  upon  the  prairie ;  He  has  put  food  and  v/ater  on  the 
plain  ;  He  has  shielded  me  from  the  grizzly,  and  wrapt  the 
night  around  me  when  my  enemies  passed  near  me.  I  will 
not  lie  down  and  die  ;  I  will  go  on  still,  in  hope.' 


So  Red  Cloud. 


"  Well,  I  went  on,  and  it  grew  dark  once  more.  I  was 
determined  to  drag  on  until  I  reached  these  hills,  for  1 
knew  that  there  was  plenty  of  water  here.  Then  all  at  once 
I  heard  the  noise  of  a  horse's  hoofs,  and  I  hid  myself,  think- 
ing it  was  an  Assineboine  scout;  and  then  I  heard  your 
voice,  and  I  knew  that  I  was  safe." 

Such  was  the  story. 

The  poor  fellow  spoke  in  his  native  tongue,  which  the 
Sioux  understood,  and  as  to  him  many  Indian  dialects  were 
familiar,  interpreted  to  me  as  we  sat  at  the  camp  fire.  The 
Red  Cloud,  familiar  as  his  life  had  made  him  with  every 
phase  of  hardship  of  Indian  existence  on  the  great  prairie, 
had  never  before  met  with  such  a  singular  instance  of 
Indian  fortitude  and  perseverance  as  this  was;  but  the 
concluding  portion  of  the  Cree's  narrative  had  roused  other 
thoughts  in  his  mind,  and  to  these  he  directed  his  questions. 

"The  Assineboines  that  passed  by  you  last  nighl,"  he 
said,  "  how  many  might  they  have  numbered  ?  " 

"They  were  but  few,"  answered  the  Cree  ;  "about  fifteen 
men." 

"  What  part  of  the  hills  were  they  making  for  ?  " 

"  They  were  on  a  line  that  would  lead  them  north  of 
where  we  now  are." 

The  Sioux  remained  silent  for  some  time.  He  was 
thinking  deeply  upon  the  presence  of  this  war-party.  It 
boded  trouble  in  the  future.     It  was  true  he  had  quarrel 


Saved —  Watched.  8i 


with  no  Indian  tribe  ;  but  a  small  war-party  of  fifteen  braves 
is  not  particular  on  the  score  of  cause  of  enmity,  and  if 
horses  are  to  be  captured  or  scalps  taken,  it  usually  matters 
little  whether  actual  war  has  been  declared  beforehand  ;  and 
the  adage  that  those  who  are  not  with  me  are  against  me, 
holds  good  on  such  wild  raids  as  that  upon  which  the  party 
seen  by  the  Cree  were  now  bound.  Thinking  out  many 
different  courses,  and  weighing  well  their  various  probabili- 
ties of  success  or  failure,  the  Sioux  at  length  wrapped  him- 
self in  his  blanket  and  lay  down  to  rest.  We  had  spread  a 
blanket  for  the  Cree,  and  had  done  all  we  could  to  make 
him  comfortable.  At  first  the  poor  creature  seemed 
scarcely  to  understand  the  meaning  of  so  much  kindness 
and  attention  from  a  stranger.  Under  the  influence  of  a 
good  supper  he  soon  forgot  the  fearful  hardships  which 
he  had  so  lately  passed  through,  and  the  full  realization  of 
his  immediate  safety  seemed  to  obliterate  all  anxiety  for 
the  future.  And  yet,  as  he  now  lay  by  the  camp  fire  of 
his  preserver  there  was  as  much  danger  hanging  over  him 
as  ever  had  threatened  him  in  the  darkest  moment  of  his 
terrible  journey. 

Over  the  brow  of  a  hill  close  by,  a  pair  of  watchful  eyes 
were  looking  into  the  camp,  intently  noting  every  move- 
ment in  and  around  it 


82  Red  Cloud. 


CHAPTER  V. 

An  Assineboine  camp— The  trader  McDermott— The  chief 
"Wolverine" — Fire-water  and  finesse — The  Assineboine 
war-party — A  chance  of  a  Cree  scalp — The  trader  hears  a 
well-known  name — A  big  bid  for  murder,  two  hundred 
skins  ! 

The  events  that  now  began  to  unfold  themselves  in  my 
life  and  in  those  of  my  companions,  took  shape  and  context 
only  after  long  lapse  of  time  had  passed  by. 

It  was  frequently  when  months  had  vanished  that  I  learned 
the  various  threads  of  action  which  had  led  to  incidents  of 
more  or  less  importance  to  me.  Hitherto  I  had  been  only 
a  boy-actor  in  the  drama  of  existence.  I  was  now  about  to 
become  a  sharer  in  a  larger  sphere  of  action,  and  to  partici- 
pate in  scenes  of  adventure  the  springs  of  which  were 
involved  in  the  lives  and  actions  of  other  men.  "Writing  now 
as  I  do  from  a  standpoint  of  life  which  looks  back  across 
many  years  to  those  early  adventures,  I  am  able  to  set 
down  the  record  with  its  various  parts  complete.  I  can  see 
the  lines  of  life  upon  which  other  men  moved,  and  can 
trace  the  iiiii)ulscs  upon  which  they  acted — can  fill  in,  as  it 


A 


A  brisk  trade  is  being  carried  on. 


An  Assincboine  camp.  83 

were,  the  gaps  between  their  action  and  mine  own,  and 
give  to  the  story  of  my  life  at  that  period  an  insight  into 
events  which  then  lay  veiled  from  me  by  distance.  It  will 
therefore  be  necessary,  in  order  that  my  readers  may  com- 
prehend clearly  the  thread  of  the  events  I  am  about  to  relate, 
that  I  should  at  times  carry  them  away  to  scenes  in  which 
personally  I  was  not  an  actor,  and  that  they  should  occasio- 
nally o'erleap  the  boundaries  of  the  moment  to  look  upon 
a  far  wider  theatre  of  events  than  I  myself  had  at  the  time 
beheld. 

We  will  therefore  leave  the  scene  at  the  camp-fire  in  the 
Wolverine  hills,  and  travel  in  imagination  a  hundred  miles  to 
the  south-west,  where,  on  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Qu'appelle 
river,  a  large  camp  of  Assineboines,  or  Stone  Indians,  is 
pitched. 

The  camp  is  a  large  one,  for  the  buffalo  have  been 
numerous  all  the  summer  long  on  the  prairies  south  of  the 
Qu'appelle,  and  many  scattered  bands  of  the  tribe  have  come 
together  to  hunt  and  feast  upon  the  mighty  herd.  A  brisk 
trade  is  being  carried  on  too  in  skins  and  robes  ;  for  a  rich 
trader  has  arrived  in  the  camp,  with  goodly  store  of  guns, 
blankets,  trinkets,  powder  and  ball,  and  beads ;  and  chief  and 
brave,  and  squaw  and  boy,  are  busy  at  the  work  ot  barter 
and  exchange. 

On  the  evening  we  speak  of,  the  chief  of  the  Assineboines 
was  seated  smoking 

G    2 


84  Red  Cloud. 


raised  and  the  figure  of  a  white  man  entered.  It  was 
McDermott,  the  trader  from  the  Red  River. 

The  Wolverine  extended  his  hand  to  the  new  comer,  the 
trader  shook  it,  seated  himself  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  small,  clear  wood  fire  that  burned  in  the  centre 
of  the  lodge,  and  began  to  smoke  in  silence.  The 
Indian  scarcely  moved  a  muscle,  but  sat  smoking  too, 
his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  flame.  At  last  the  trader  broke 
silence.  "  Has  any  news  come  of  the  young  men  who  are 
on  the  war-path  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,"  answered  the  Wolverine,  "  they  will  carry  their  own 
news ;  when  they  have  something  to  tell  and  to  show,  then 
they  will  return." 

!McDermott  had  his  own  reasons  for  asking ;  he  wanted 
horses,  and  he  knew  that  if  the  war-party  was  successful  he 
would  obtain  them  for  a  trifle.  Horses  lightly  got  upon  the 
war-path,  are  lightly  parted  with  by  their  captors.  A  trading 
gun  and  some  ball  and  powder  would  purchase  a  good 
horse  in  the  camp  ;  ten  guns'  value  would  not  buy  him  in 
the  English  settlement  on  the  Red  river. 

The  Wolverine  knew  well  that  the  trader  did  not  ask  these 
questions  without  good  reason ;  and  although  he  had  that 
day  received  news  of  the  war-party,  both  of  their  where- 
abouts and  future  movements,  he  was  not  going  to  give  the 
smallest  item  of  that  news  to  his  questioner  without  receiving 
some  substantial  return  for  it. 


The  trader  McDermot.  85 

On  his  part  McDermott  was  also  aware  that  a  messenger 
had  come  in  during  the  day  from  the  war-party,  but  of  the 
purport  of  the  news,  or  the  movements  of  the  party,  he  could 
not  glean  any  tidings ;  but  he  had  brought  with  him  to  the 
lodge  of  the  Wolverine  a  potent  key  to  unlock  the  secret 
store  of  that  chiefs  mind,  and  as  he  now  produced  from  his 
pocket  a  bottle  of  the  strongest  fire-water,  there  came  a  look 
into  the  impassive  eye  of  the  old  Indian  opposite  that  told 
the  trader  at  once  that  the  information  he  sought  for  would 
soon  be  his. 

Taking  a  small  tin  vessel,  he  poured  out  into  it  some  of 
the  fiery  poison,  and  handed  the  cup  across  the  fire  to  the 
chief.  As  his  hand  passed  over  the  flame  he  shook  a  few 
drops  of  the  spirit  on  the  fire  ;  a  bright  blue  flame  shot 
quickly  up,  illuminating  all  the  interior  of  the  lodge  and 
lighting  up  the  dusky  features  of  the  Wolverine,  whose  arm 
was  already  outstretched  to  receive  the  drink  he  so  deeply 
thirsted  for. 

*'  It  is  good  fire-water,"  he  said  as  he  saw  the  blaze,  "  so 
it  will  light  up  the  heart  of  the  red  man  as  it  does  this  red 
stick." 

McDermott  cautiously  refrained  for  some  moments  from 
asking  any  more  questions  of  the  whereabouts  of  the  war- 
party.  A  perfect  adept  in  the  ways  of  Indian  trade,  he 
knew  the  fire-water  would  soon  do  its  work  on  the  brain  of 
the  Wolverine. 


S6  Red  Cloud. 


The  Indian  drank,  and  returned  the  empty  cup  to  his 
visitor. 

"  I  wished  to  learn  the  movements  of  your  young  men," 
said  McDermott  after  a  long  pause,  during  which  his  sharp 
eye  had  noted  the  Indian's  face  as  he  sat  glowering  over  the 
fire,  "  because  I  am  about  to  quit  this  camp,  and  I  am  afraid 
they  may  come  upon  my  horses  at  night  and  mistake  them 
for  those  of  an  enemy." 

"  What  direction  do  you  travel  ?  "  asked  the  chief. 

"  Towards  the  settlem.ent,"  replied  the  trader.  "  My  sup- 
pUes  are  nearly  exhausted,  and  it  is  time  to  return  home." 

This  was  a  lie.  He  had  no  intention  whatever  of  leaving 
the  plains,  and  the  best  portion  of  his  goods  he  had  kept 
concealed  from  the  Assineboines  in  a  cache  on  the 
Qu'appelle  river.  For  the  third  time  he  filled  the  cup,  and 
already  the  eye,  glistening  in  the  firelight  like  that  of  a 
serpent,  told  the  effect  the  fiery  liquor  was  having  upon  the 
Wolverine's  brain.  "  I  want  you,"  went  on  the  trader,  "  to 
send  with  me  the  Indian  who  came  to-day  from  the  war- 
party.  He  will  protect  my  horses  from  being  taken,  in 
case  I  should  fall  in  with  your  young  men." 

"  There  will  be  no  danger  to  your  horses,"  said  the  Indian. 
**  My  young  men  are  far  away  from  the  trail  that  leads  to 
the  settlement ;  but  you  want  to  get  the  horses  they  have 
taken,  not  to  protect  your  own.  Well,  give  me  the  rest  of 
that  bottle,  and  you  may  take  with  you  the  young  man  who 


Fire-ivatcr  and  finesse.  87 

to-day  has  come  from  the  party.  He  will  lead  you  where 
you  will  find  them." 

The  bargain  was  soon  struck,  and  as  the  trader  quitted 
the  lodge  the  Wolverine  was  clutching  in  his  bony 
fingers  the  fatal  fire-water,  which,  more  than  war,  hunger, 
or  exposure,  has  destroyed  the  red  man's  race  over  the 
wide  continent  of  North  America. 

McDermott  having  obtained  the  chief's  consent  to  his 
taking  the  brave  lately  arrived  from  the  war-party  away 
with  him,  wfthout  which  permission  it  would  have  been  fatal 
to  his  future  interests  in  trade  to  have  moved  him,  lost  no 
time  in  setting  out  on  his  road.  He  put  together  the 
greater  portion  of  his  goods,  and  leaving  a  half-breed 
servant  to  continue  the  exchange  of  those  things  that  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  take  away,  he  departed  from  the  camp 
at  midnight,  and  by  daybreak  was  far  away  from  the  last 
trace  of  the  Assineboines. 

He  had  with  him  the  Assineboine  scout  as  guide,  and  two 
retainers,  a  French  half-breed  and  a  Salteaux  Indian.  The 
party  rode  rapidly ;  they  had  a  large  band  of  horses,  and 
packs  and  saddles  were  frequently  changed.  By  the  evening 
of  the  first  day  they  drew  near  the  last  mountain  range  of 
hills.  The  scout  led  the  way.  When  night  fell  upon  the 
plain  they  were  on  the  edge  of  the  hills ;  presently  a  small 
lake  was  reached.  It  was  now  dark,  but  the  guide  knew  the 
track,  and  he  pushed  on  into  the  hills. 


88  Red  Cloud. 


A  long  ride  further  tlirough  rough  and  broken  ground,  on 
which  they  had  carefully  to  pick  their  way,  brought  them 
suddenly  face  to  face  with  a  small  fire  burning  in  a  glen 
between  abrupt  hills.  Around  the  fire  were  seated  several 
figures.  It  was  the  camp  of  the  war-party.  The  braves  sat 
late  around  their  fires,  but  there  was  reason  for  their  doing 
so.  A  scout  had  only  lately  returned  with  news  of  import- 
ance. The  story  he  had  to  tell  was  to  this  effect  At 
sunset  he  had  been  looking  from  a  hill  over  the  prairie 
to  the  west ;  he  had  suddenly  observed  two  horsemen  riding 
from  a  point  in  the  line  of  hills  farther  to  the  south,  out 
into  the  plain.  Judging  from  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  that 
a  camp  must  be  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  place  from 
whence  those  horsemen  had  gone,  the  scout  had  ridden 
cautiously  forward  towards  that  portion  of  the  hills.  He 
had  soon  discovered  a  fire,  beside  which  a  solitary  white 
man  sat.  Concealing  himself  effectu:Jly  from  sight,  he 
had  watched  and  waited. 

Soon  there  had  come  an  Indian  and  another  white  man, 
bearing  with  them  what  seemed  the  dead  body  of  another 
Indian.  But  this  man  was  not  dead;  he  shortly  began  to 
speak,  to  eat,  to  drink.  He  was  a  Cree,  who  told  a  story  of 
having  crawled  a  long  way  over  the  prairies  from  the  south. 
The  scout  knew  only  a  little  of  the  Cree  language,  and  he 
had  been  able  only  to  follow  roughly  what  the  wounded 
man  had  said.     As  for  the  other  men — the  white  men  he 


TJie  Assinebonie  tvar -party.  89 

had  never  seen  before,  bat  the  red  man  was  the  Red  Cloud, 
the  famous  wandering  Sioux. 

Now  the  principal  item  of  this  story  that  had  interest  for 
the  Assineboines,  who  sat  eager  listeners  around  the  fire,  was 
that  which  had  reference  to  the  wounded  Cree  Indian  :  the 
Crees  were  enemies  ;  the  war-party  had  as  yet  taken  no  Cree 
scalps.  How  could  they  return  to  their  camp  with  no 
trophy  to  show  ?  The  women  and  children  would  laugh  at 
them ;  the  old  men  would  say,  "  Ah  !  it  was  different  in  our 
time ;  we  did  not  come  in  from  the  war-trail  without  horses 
or  scalps."  Here  then  was  a  great  chance  of  supplying 
this  most  pressing  want. 

It  was  true  that  the  Red  Cloud  was  well  known  over  all 
the  northern  prairies.  It  would  be  no  easy  matter  to  carry 
off  the  Cree  from  his  protection  ;  nor  would  it  be  safe  to 
molest  the  white  men  who  were  with  him,  for  the  noise  of 
harm  done  to  white  men  travelled  sometimes  far  over  the 
prairies,  and  reached  even  the  ears  of  the  Great  Mother  who 
dwelt  beyond  the  big  sea  in  the  land  where  the  sun  rose. 

These  things  considered  made  it  wiser  to  attempt  the 
capture  of  the  Cree  while  both  the  Indian  and  his  white 
friends  were  absent  from  their  camp.  If  this  could  be 
effected,  then  indeed  the  party  might  return  in  triumph  to 
their  friends  and  justly  receive  the  rewards  of  bravery. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  summary  of  the  con- 
versation which  had  been  held  over  the  fire  by  the  Assine- 


90  Red  Cloud, 


boines  now  grouped  around  it,  that  the  bravery  of  the  parly 
individually  or  collectively  was  not  of  the  highest  order  ;  but 
in  truth  the  thing  we  call  courage  is  much  the  same  among 
red  men  as  among  white  all  the  world  over.  Confined  to 
no  class  or  to  no  people,  its  examples  will  be  found  often 
mixed  with  strange  evidences  of  cowardice ;  and  side  by 
side  with  the  man  who  dares  for  the  sake  of  daring,  will  be 
found  the  man  in  whose  heart  a  bit  of  cheap  courage  is  only 
less  cherished  than  his  life. 

It  was  while  thus  the  party  of  Assineboines  debated  their 
future  action  that  the  voice  of  the  scout  who  had  left  them 
seme  days  previously  was  heard  saluting  from  the  darkness. 
The  new  arrivals  came  forward  into  the  circle  of  light. 
McDermott  was  an  old  acquaintance,  and  he  and  his 
Salteaux  were  soon  seated  around  the  fire.  The  presence 
of  the  trader  did  little  to  interrupt  the  flow  of  conversation 
between  the  Assineboines.  Too  much  engrossed  by  the  pro- 
spect of  such  an  easy  prey,  they  soon  resumed  the  thread  of 
their  discussion,  and  after  some  questions  asked  and 
answered  the  new  comer  was  left  to  smoke  in  silence. 

But  as  the  Assineboines  debated  their  plans,  and  mention 
had  been  made  once  or  twice  of  the  two  men  in  the  other 
camp  against  whom  the  braves  had  no  quarrel,  there  came 
into  the  trader's  face  an  expression  of  rapt  attention,  and  he 
listened  eagerly  to  every  word  that  fell  from  his  companions. 
He  might  well  start  at   the  utterance  of  one  name — the 


The  trader  hears  a  well-knozvn  name,  91 

name  of  the  Red  Cloud,  the  son  of  the  man  he  had  foully 
betrayed  to  his  doom. 

Face  to  face  he  had  never  met  the  Sioux  chief,  but  a 
vague  undefined  fear  had  oppressed  him  whenever  his 
name  had  been  mentioned.  He  well  knew  that  the  ven- 
geance of  the  Sioux  is  deep  and  lasting ;  he  knew  too 
that  if  any  act  merited  revenge  it  was  the  act  which  he  had 
committed  upon  the  father  of  this  man  with  whom  he  had 
had  no  cause  of  quarrel,  with  whom  he  had  been  on  terms 
of  long  and  deep  intimacy,  in  whose  tent  he  had  eaten 
in  former  times,  when  the  Sioux  had  held  their  lands  up 
to  the  shores  of  the  Otter  Tail  and  to  the  sources  of  the 
Mississippi. 

Nine  years  had  passed  since  that  foul  deed  had  been 
wrought.  In  the  wild  life  of  the  prairies,  and  amid  a  society 
whose  deeds  of  violence  were  of  too  frequent  occurrence, 
the  memory  of  any  particular  act  of  bloodshed  is  soon  for- 
gotten ;  but  time  had  never  blotted  out  the  recollection  of 
the  treachery  of  the  trader  McDermott.  There  was  not 
a  Sioux  on  the  most  southern  tributary  stream  of  the  great 
Missouri  who  had  not  heard  of  that  dark  night's  work,  when, 
drugged  at  the  feast  to  which  he  had  gone  in  the  confidence 
of  old  friendship,  the  chief  Black  Eagle  was  carried 
through  the  snow  of  the  winter  night  and  yielded  a  prisoner 
at  the  frontier  post  on  the  Red  river. 

Since  that  time  the  trader  had  grown  rich.    He  had  many 


92  Red  Cloud. 


successful  ventures  on  the  plains;  tor  the  qi:  riels  of  the 
Sioux  were  not  the  quarrels  of  the  Crees,  the  Assineboines, 
and  the  Blackfeet,  the  Sircees  or  the  Salteaux;  but  through 
all  these  years  he  lived  as  it  were  in  the  shadow  of  his  own 
crime,  and  he  felt  that  while  a  Sioux  was  left  to  roam 
the  prairie,  the  dead  body  of  the  man  whose  life  he  had  sold 
was  still  unburied.  Many  a  time  when  the  shadows  darkened 
upon  the  great  landscape  had  he  heard  in  his  heart  the 
mysterious  voice  of  conscience,  upbraiding  him  with  the 
deed  of  blood;  but  more  than  all  had  he  conceived, 
with  the  intuitive  faculty  of  fear,  a  dread  of  the  Red 
Cloud. 

Whether  there  came  tidings  of  a  battle  or  a  skirmish, 
fought  between  the  remnants  of  the  Sioux,  the  Mandans, 
the  Minatarre,  or  the  Ogahalla  branches  of  that  once  mighty 
nation  with  the  troops  of  the  United  States,  McDermott 
longed  to  learn  that  this  wandering  chief,  whose  presence 
ever  haunted  his  imagination,  had  at  last  met  his  end.  But 
he  ever  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life. 

At  one  time  he  was  heard  of  in  a  raid  upon  the  American 
post  on  the  great  bend  of  the  Missouri ;  again  came  tidings 
that  he  had  led  a  small  band  of  the  Ogahalla  against  a  de- 
tachment of  soldiers  in  the  fort  hills  of  Montana,  and  that 
not  one  living  soul  had  escaped  to  tell  the  fate  of  the 
American  soldiers;  and  again  there  came  news  that  a  solitary 
Indian  had  been  seen  by  the  Touchwood  hills,  or  in  the 


Fear  of  Retribution,  93 

broken  ridges  of  the  Mauvais  Bois,  and  that  this  roving  red 
man  was  the  Red  Cloud. 

That  curious  instinct  which  danger  frequently  gives  to 
the  mind  long  before  any  actual  symptom  of  its  approach 
is  visible,  had  warned  the  trader  McDermott  that  while  the 
Sioux  lived  he  had  reason  to  dread  at  his  hands  a  fate  as 
cruel  as  the  one  to  which  he  had  consigned  the  old  chief. 

Now  all  at  once,  sitting  here  at  this  camp  fire,  he  heard  the 
dreaded  name  of  his  enemy,  and  gathering  from  the  con- 
versation that  only  a  few  miles  away  from  where  he  sat  lay 
camped  the  man  he  feared  more  than  anything  on  earth, 
it  is  little  wonder  that  his  heart  beat  loudly  within  his 
breast,  and  his  face  showed  unmistakable  traces  of  the  con- 
flict of  passion  that  raged  within  him.  For  with  the  news 
of  this  proximity  of  his  hated  enemy  there  was  also  a 
chance  not  to  be  lightly  lost.  Here  was  the  Sioux  in  com- 
pany with  a  wounded  Cree,  close  to  a  war-party  of  Assine- 
boines  hungry  for  trophies  and  for  plunder.  His  course 
was  plain.  Could  he  succeed  in  inducing  the  Assineboines 
to  attack  the  Sioux  camp,  and  end  for  ever  his  hated  enemy? 
It  would  go  hard  with  him  if  he  could  not. 

Listening  to  the  conversation  of  the  braves,  and  at  the 
same  time  endeavouring  to  frame  his  plans  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Sioux,  he  sat  silent  for  some  time.  The  pre- 
sence of  white  men  in  the  camp  of  the  Sioux  alone  dis- 
quieted   him;    it   prevented   his   openly   proposing  to  the 


94  R^d  Cloud. 


Indians  who  were  with  him  to  attack  the  camp,  and  joining 
them  himself  in  doing  so. 

The  death  on  the  prairies  of  two  Indians  would  have 
mattered  little,  but  the  murder  of  two  white  men  was  an 
event  that  might  give  rise  to  unpleasant  questions  being 
asked  in  the  Red  River  ;  and  when  next  he  visited  his  home 
there,  it  might  be  to  find  himself  charged  with  complicity  or 
actual  share  in  the  crime. 

He  pretended  therefore  not  to  have  heard  much  of  what 
the  Assineboines  had  been  speaking  among  themselves,  but 
to  approach  his  object  from  an  outside  point  altogether. 

Watching  an  opportunity,  and  addressing  himself  to  the 
leader  of  the  band,  he  began. 

"  I  see  no  trace  of  war,"  he  said,  "  and  I  hear  of  no 
horses  having  been  captured.  Are  the  Crees  too  strong, 
that  your  braves  have  feared  to  encounter  them  ?  or  do  they 
watch  their  horses  so  closely  that  you  cannot  get  near  them? 

The  taunt  struck  the  mark  it  had  been  aimed  at.  "We 
have  not  taken  scalps,"  replied  the  leader,  "because  the 
Crees  keep  together  and  shun  our  presence.  The  horses  of 
the  Crees  are  fleet  to  run  away  ;  but  it  may  not  be  long,"  he 
added,  "  before  we  have  horses,  and  scalps  too." 

"  I  want  some  good  horses,"  went  on  the  trader,  "and  I 
will  give  a  large  price  for  them  ;  but  they  must  be  of  the 
right  kind — not  small,  starved  ponies,  but  mustangs  of  size 
and  power,  fit  for  a  chief  to  ride." 


Watching  an  opportunity,  tlie  trader  addressed  the  leader  of  the  band. 


A  big  hid  for  murder.  95 

He  well  knew  the  horses  which  the  Red  Cloud  usinllv 
rode  and  used,  and  in  mentioning  the  style  of  horse  he  now 
required  he  painted  exactly  those  of  his  enemy. 

"  And  what  would  you  give  for  such  a  horse  ?  "  asked  the 
Assineboine  leader. 

The  trader  thought  for  a  moment.  Here  was  his  oppor- 
tunity. Now  or  never  he  would  name  a  price  dazzling  to 
the  Indian — cheap  to  him,  smce  it  might  for  ever  rid  him  of 
the  man  he  feared  and  hated. 

"I  would  give  for  such  a  horse,"  he  slowly  replied, 
"  two  hundred  skins." 

Two  hundred  skins  !  Never  had  horse  fetched  such  a 
price  since  the  mustang  breed  had  reached  these  northern 
prairies  from  the  great  plateau  of  New  Mexico  and  the 
Spanish  frontier,  two  hundred  years  ago.  The  Indian  was 
dumb  with  astonishment — for  three  such  horses  he  and  his 
band  would  get  750  skins.  Why  they  would  be  rich  for 
evermore.  They  would  be  the  envy  of  every  young 
Assineboine  in  the  tribe.  The  fairest  squaws  would  ^e  their 
wives,  for  they  could  lay  such  a  pile  of  presents  at  the 
lodge  doors  of  the  parents  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  deny  their  suit.  What  guns,  too,  they  could  buy,  and 
fancy  rifles,  and  store  of  beads  and  gaudy  dress,  with  porcu- 
pine quills,  and  blankets  of  brightest  hue  ! 

All  these  things  flashed  through  the  minds  of  the  war- 
party  as  they  listened  to  the  trader's  offer.    The  bid  vv'as  too 


g6  Red  Cloud. 


high ;  the  last  doubt  about  attempting  to  kill  the  Cree  and 
carry  ofF  the  horses  of  the  Sioux  vanished,  and  already  they 
began  to  speculate  upon  their  future  disposal  of  so  much 
wealth  and  so  much  finery.  So  far  as  they  were  concerned 
the  doom  of  the  Cree,  and  for  that  matter  of  the  Sioux, 
and  his  associates  if  resistance  was  offered,  was  settled. 

The  trader  saw  with  suppressed  joy  this  realization  of 
his  fondest  hopes.  He  well  knew  the  Sioux  would  fight  to 
the  bitter  end  sooner  than  lose  friend  or  horse.  He 
had  only  one  fear,  and  that  was  that  the  murder  of  the 
Cree  and  the  capture  of  the  horses  might  be  effected 
while  the  Sioux  was  absent  from  his  camp,  and  that  thus  the 
life  of  his  enemy  might  be  saved. 

As  he  wrapt  himself  in  his  robe  a  little  later  on  in  the 
night,  and  lay  down  to  sleep  by  the  still  smouldering  embers 
of  the  camp  fire,  he  felt  at  last  that  his  long  fear  was  wearing 
to  an  end,  and  that  the  fate  of  his  enemy  was  sealed. 


97 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Sioux  forecasts  our  course — On  the  watch — Directions — 
We  separate — Red  Cloud  is  seen  far  out  on  the  plains — Rival 
tactics— Scent  versus  sight — A  captured  scout — The  edge  of 
the  hills  again — The  signal  fire. 

And  now  the  reader  must  come  back  to  our  own  camp, 
where  we  have  all  this  time  been  comfortably  settled  for  the 
night.  The  concluding  portion  of  the  Cree's  story  had 
thoroughly  alarmed  the  Sioux.  From  the  few  words  in 
which  the  Cree  had  described  the  passing  of  the  war- 
party,  he  had  easily  been  able  to  put  together  all  that  was 
needful  for  thoroughly  understanding  the  situation.  His 
knowledge  of  the  prairies,  and  his  complete  mastery  of 
every  detail  of  Indian  thought  and  habit,  made  easy  to  him 
the  task  of  tracking  the  further  progress  of  the  party,  and 
guessing  their  whereabouts  almost  to  exactness. 

They  were  camped,  he  thought,  only  some  seven  or 
eight  miles  distant,  in  the  same  range  of  hills,  and  not  far 
from  where  the  level  prairie  bordered  on  the  west  the 
broken  ground. 

Ot  course  he  knew  nothing  of  the. arrival,  in  the  camp  of 

H 


98  Red  Cloud. 


the  war-party,  of  his  deadly  enemy,  the  trader  ;  but  he  had 
long  surmised  the  whereabouts  of  that  individual  to  be  not 
very  remote,  and  from  the  information  which  he  had  gained 
when  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  settlement,  he  was  led 
to  conjecture  that  the  first  lar^^e  Indian  camp  he  came  to 
would  have  the  trader  as  one  o;  its  inmates. 

But  as  to  the  probable  movements  of  the  party,  he  formed 
a  very  correct  anticipation.  Their  scouts  would  be  sure  to 
discover  our  camp  at  furthest  on  the  morrow,  even  if  they 
had  not  already  done  so ;  the  Cree  would  prove  to  them 
too  strong  a  temptation  to  be  resisted,  and  the  near  presence 
of  such  good  horses  would  be  sure  to  give  rise  to  some 
attempt  at  robbery.  He  did  not  communicate  any  of 
these  thoughts  to  us,  his  companions,  now.  He  determined 
to  wait  quietly  until  we  were  asleep,  then  to  drive  in  the 
steeds,  and  to  remain  on  watch  until  daybreak.  With  these 
precautions  there  would  be  little  danger. 

Departing  quietly  from  the  camp  when  our  easy  and  regular 
respiration  told  him  that  we  were  asleep,  he  drove  in  the 
hobbled  horses  to  the  fire;  then  hobbling  them  so  that  the  neck 
and  forelegs  were  fastened  together  in  addition  to  the  fasten- 
ing of  the  two  forelegs,  he  withdrew  to  the  shelter  of  a  small 
thicket  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  camp  and  its 
neighbourhood,  and  wrapping  himself  in  his  robe  sat  down, 
with  his  rifle  between  his  knees  and  his  dog  beside  him,  to 
pass  the  night  on  guard. 


On  the  watch.  99 


How  weary  such  a  night  to  a  white  man  !  How  slowly 
the  long  dark  hours  would  roll  by  !  How  anxiously  the 
first  gleam  of  light  would  be  looked  for  in  the  east !  Not 
so  with  the  red  man;  night  after  night  will  he  thus  sit, 
watching  with  eyes  that  never  close,  with  ears  that  never 
deaden  in  their  keen  sense  of  sound.  Sometimes  in  his 
lodge,  sometimes  as  here  rn  the  thicket  on  the  plain,  thus 
will  he  sit  hour  after  hour  until  the  grey  light  steals  into  the 
east,  grows  broader  over  the  sky,  and  the  night  is  done. 

At  the  first  gleam  of  daylight  Red  Cloud  moved  gently 
back  to  camp,  threw  wood  upon  the  fire,  roused  me  from 
my  slumbers,  and  got  breakfast  ready. 

The  meal  over,  he  took  me  aside  and  unfolded  to  me 
his  plan  of  action. 

"  To-day,"  he  said,  "  we  are  sure  to  be  found  out  by  the 
war-party  of  Assineboines.  They  will  not  venture  openly  to 
attack  us  during  the  day,  but  they  will  reconnoitre  our 
camp,  and  probably  to-night  they  will  attempt  to  run  oft 
the  horses  and  kill  this  Cree.  We  cannot  wait  here,  they 
are  too  many  for  us ;  neither  can  we  move  out  into  the 
plain,  they  would  instantly  see  us  and  give  chase;  and 
though  you  and  your  companion  might  make  a  good  stand 
with  me  by  ourselves,  yet  with  this  Cree  we  could  not  do 
it.  What  I  propose  doing  is  this  :  the  Cree  is  able  to  sit  a 
horse ;  you  three  will  start  at  once,  taking  the  hound  with 
you,  heading  straight  into  the  hills.     The  Cree  will  know  the 

H    2 


Red  Cloud. 


line  to  follow,  and  how  to  keep  the  bottom  of  the  valley. 
Until  one  hour  betore  noon  you  must  hold  your  course  deep 
into  the  hills  due  east,  then  you  will  turn  to  the  north  and 
ride  fast  for  three  hours  until  the  sun  is  half-way  to  the 
prairie.  Then  turning  quickly  to  the  west,  you  will  con- 
tinue your  way  until  you  come  again  to  the  edge  of  three 
hills ;  by  this  course  you  will  have  followed  three  sides  of  a 
square.  Within  that  square  lies  the  camp  of  the  Assine- 
boines.  This  evening,  if  you  do  all  I  say,  you  will  be  as 
far  to  the  north  of  that  camp  as  we  are  to  the  south  of  it 
now.     Look  how  the  grass  falls." 

So  saying,  he  threw  some  dry  grass  into  the  air.  It  fell 
towards  the  south,  the  wind  was  blowing  from  the  north. 

"  To-night,"  he  said,  "  that  wind  will  blow  in  the  direc- 
tion I  want  You  will  reach  the  edge  of  the  hills  before  the 
sun  has  set.  When  it  is  quite  dark  make  a  small  fire  on  the 
slope  of  one  of  the  hills  facing  towards  the  plain ;  let  it  be 
in  such  a  position  that  while  visible  to  a  person  out  on  the 
prairie,  it  will  be  concealed  from  the  sight  of  any  one  in 
the  hills  to  the  south.  Keep  the  fire  burning  for  half 
an  hour  after  dark ;  then  extinguish  it,  and  make  your 
camp  near  the  spot,  but  within  the  shelter  of  the  hills. 
Soon  after  that  time  I  will  be  with  you.  For  the  rest,  fire 
no  shot  during  the  day  unless  you  should  happen  to  be 
attacked,  and  move  silently  in  your  course  through  the 
hills." 


Red  Cloud  is  seen  far  out  on  the  plains.        loi 

The  preparations  for  moving  were  soon  made  ;  there  was 
no  time  to  be  lost.  We  took  three  horses  and  set  off  mto 
the  hills.  The  Sioux  spoke  a  word  to  the  dog,  ordering 
him  TO  go  with  us;  the  dog  reluctantly  obeyed,  but  his 
training  was  perfect  and  he  trotted  on  after  the  Cree.  . 
Having  seen  us  out  of  the  camp  and  behind  the  first  in- 
tervening rise  of  ground,  he  turned  his  horse's  head  full 
for  the  plains,  and  taking  the  lariat  of  a  loose  pack-horse 
carrying  only  a  few  light  articles,  he  set  otf  at  a  sharp  pace 
into  the  great  prairie. 

He  had  kept  his  own  plans  to  himself,  but  they  will 
unfold  themselves  to  view  as  we  follow  his  steps. 

Keeping  for  some  time  along  the  base  of  the  hills,  he 
had  at  length  begun  to  edge  farther  and  farther  out  into 
the  plain,  until  after  a  couple  of  hours'  riding  he  was  many 
miles  in  a  diagonal  line  from  his  starting-point.  Then 
he  began  to  direct  his  horse  more  to  the  west,  making  a 
wide  curve  the  base  of  which  was  the  range  of  hills,  then 
turning  towards  the  north  he  continued  for  some  time  to 
hold  a  course  in  that  direction.  He  was  now  fully  ten 
miles  out  in  the  plain,  a  distance  which  made  him  and  his 
horse  appear  mere  specks  in  the  immense  range  of  vision. 

Small  as  these  specks  of  life  were,  they  did  not  escape, 
however,  the  watchful  glance  of  a  scout,  who  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Assineboine  camp  scanned  the 
plains  ;  but  not  even   Indian   sight  could  resolve  at  that 


102  Red  Cloud. 


distance  these  objects.  Horsemen  or  horseman  certainly — 
but  what  horsemen  ?     No  human  eye  could  tell. 

The  scout's  report  brought  quickly  to  the  standpomt  some 
more  of  the  braves,  but  no  additional  light  could  be  gleaned 
from  their  opinions  as  to  who  the  distant  specks  might  be, 
or  where  their  course  was  laid  for.  At  break  of  day  that 
morning  the  trusty  scout  who  had  first  discovered  the  camp, 
and  had  brought  tidings  of  the  Cree  to  his  companions,  had 
started  to  again  reconnoitre  the  place  and  its  occupints. 

While  Red  Cloud  is  thus  slowly  making  his  way  across 
the  plain,  under  the  distant  range  of  vision  of  the  Assine- 
boines,  we  will  follow  for  a  time  the  fortunes  of  this 
single  scout,  whose  work  it  was  to  watch  during  the 
day  the  camp,  the  attack  of  which  had  been  fixed  for  the 
following  night. 

In  his  survey  of  the  previous  evening,  the  Assineboine 
scout  had  observed  that  at  the  farther  side  of  the  camp  to 
the  one  on  which  he  had  approached  it,  there  stood  a  hill 
partly  covered  with  brushwood,  which  would  afford  him,  if 
he  could  gain  its  shelter,  a  better  position  for  watching  the 
movements  and  hearing  the  conversation  of  the  occupants 
of  the  camp.  His  only  means  of  reaching  the  cover  of 
this  hill  was  to  make  a  long  detour  through  the  broken 
ground  lying  towards  the  east,  and  by  coming  out  south  of 
the  camp  approach  it  from  its  most  distant  side  :  this  he 
determined  to  attempt. 


Rival  tactics.  103 


Estimating  the  two  camps  to  be  ten  miles  from  each 
other,  the  course  the  Assineboine  proposed  to  travel  would 
take  him  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles.  He  pushed  rapidly 
along,  keeping  to  the  hollows  between  the  ridges,  and  at 
times  leading  his  horse  through  thickets  and  copsewood, 
and  ever  and  anon  in  wet  and  boggy  ground,  stopping  to 
listen,  or  ascending  some  ridge  higher  than  others  for  a 
wide  view  around. 

Thus  it  happened  that  about  the  same  time  of  the  morn- 
ing the  Assineboine  scout  and  our  little  party  were  pursuing 
two  circular  courses,  the  lines  of  which  must  intersect 
each  other  at  one  point.  Whoever  came  to  that  point  last 
would  be  made  aware  of  the  passage  of  the  others.  No 
eye  could  fail  to  see  a  trail  in  the  soft  turf  of  the  valleys. 

Leaving  the  scout  to  pursue  his  way,  we  will  now  follow 
our  own  fortunes  along  our  path.  Without  incidents  of  any 
kind,  we  had  continued  our  course  through  the  hills  towards 
the  east.  It  was  almost  time  for  that  change  of  direction 
which  the  Sioux  had  enjoined  upon  us. 

I  led  the  way,  closely  followed  by  Donogh;  the  Cree 
was  in  the  rear  with  the  dog.  Between  them  ran  two  pack- 
horses.  The  Cree  was  mounted  on  the  other  pack-horse 
whose  load  was  now  light,  inasmuch  as  the  supplies  of  meat 
had  been  considerably  lessened  by  the  consumption  of  the 
past  three  days,  no  large  game  having  fallen  since  the 
death  of  the    wapiti ;  the  wild  ducks  and   prairie  grouse 


104  "^^<^  Cloud. 


so  plentiful  in  this  part  of  the  plains  having  amply  sufficed 
to  keep  our  party  in  food. 

As  we  now  journeyed  on,  the  Cree,  who  was  in  rear  of  all, 
saw  by  the  attitude  of  the  dog  that  it  suddenly  betokened 
the  presence  of  some  animal  to  the  left  He  called  my 
attention  to  the  fact. 

The  dog  showed  unmistakable  signs  of  having  either  seen 
or  smelt  some  living  thing.  He  stood  with  head  turned 
towards  the  left,  and  ears  pointed  forwards,  as  though  he 
partly  expected  an  advance  from  that  quarte-,  of  man  or 
beast.     At  times  a  low  growl  escaped  his  half-closed  mouth. 

Determined  to  discover  what  it  could  mean,  I  spoke  a 
few  words  to  the  dog.  Instantly  he  bounded  forward  full 
into  a  thicket,  which  stood  only  some  sixty  paces  distant. 
There  wa.«i  a  loud  noise  and  breaking  of  branches  in  the 
thicket;  a  succession  of  fierce- barks  were  succeeded  by  a 
sharp  howl  of  pain,  and  there  broke  forth  from  one  side  of 
the  thicket  the  figure  of  an  Indian  on  horseback  closely 
followed  by  the  hound.  Ere  the  horseman  had  got  quite 
clear  of  the  wood  the  dog  was  upon  him,  upon  the  side 
nearest  to  us.  With  a  terrific  spring  he  fastened  upon  the 
right  leg  of  the  Indian.  In  vain  the  man  struck  him  with  a 
short  bow  and  a  handful  of  arrows  which  he  held  in  his 
right  hand.  In  an  instant  the  dog  had  dragged  him  from  his 
pony,  and  bot"h  dog  and  man  were  roUin  g  together  upon  the 
ground. 


Both  dog  and  man  were  rolling  together  upon  the  ground. 


A  captured  scout.  105 


At  this  moment  we  rode  in  upon  the  struggle.  Ere  the 
Indian  could  rise  and  shake  himself  loose  from  his  savage 
assailant  I  had  struck  him  a  violent  blow  upon  the  head 
with  the  butt  of  my  gun,  which  effectually  put  a  stop  to 
all  power  of  resistance ;  then  ordering  the  dog  to  loose  his 
hold,  we  had  time  to  take  note  of  both  dog  and  captive. 
The  first-named  was  bleeding  profusely  from  an  arrow, 
which  the  Indian  had  shot  at  him  at  the  moment  he  had 
entered  the  thicket.  The  shaft  had  struck  full  upon  his  breast 
between  his  fore  legs,  but  the  direction  of  the  arrow  fired 
from  on  horseback  was  downwards,  and  the  point  had  pene- 
trated the  flesh  and  muscle  of  his  chest,  coming  out  again 
beneath  his  ribs.  Still  it  was  an  ugly  wound,  one  half-inch 
higher,  or  fired  even  from  the  level  of  a  man  on  foot  instead 
of  on  horseback,  and  the  poor  dog  must  have  been  a  dead 
animal. 

But  it  is  these  half-inches  that  make  all  the  difference 
between  a  dead  dog  and  a  captured  Assineboine ;  for,  as 
the  reader  must  be  aware,  the  Indian  was  no  other  than 
the  scout  on  his  way  to  reconnoitre  from  the  south  the 
camp  we  had  so  lately  quitted 
.  And  now  the  question  presented  itself  to  our  minds  what 
was  to  be  done  with  the  captive.  The  Cree's  solution  was 
perfectly  simple — it  was  to  instantly  despatch  him  as  he  lay. 
and  with  his  scalp  and  his  horse  in  our  possession  (for  the 
steed  had  in  true  Indian  fashion  stopped  when  his  rider 


lo6  Red  Cloud. 


fell)  resume  our  way ;  but  I  could  not  hear  of  this  proposal. 
First  tying  the  Assineboine,  so  that  no  attempt  at  escape 
could  become  possible  even  if  he  were  sufficiently  recovered 
from  the  vigorous  application  of  the  butt  of  the  gun,  I  next 
examined  carefully  the  dog's  wound,  and  having  extracted 
the  arrow  by  breaking  the  shaft  outside  the  wound  and 
drawing  the  head  fully  out,  we  saw  that  it  was  not  dangerous. 
Then  we  caught  the  Assineboine's  pony,  and  bringing  the 
steed  to  its  fallen  rider — who  by  this  time  had  sufficiently 
recovered  consciousness  to  be  fully  aware  of  all  that  had 
passed  and  was  passing  around  him — we  made  him  mount 
his  horse,  his  arms  still  remaining  tied;  then  passing  a 
leather  line  tightly  round  his  legs,  we  strapped  our  prisoner 
to  the  horse's  girth,  and  passing  a  double  line  through  the 
animal's  mouth,  remounted  our  own  horses,  and  set  out  on 
our  read — first  having  given  the  Assineboine  a  pretty 
intelligible  hint  that  any  attempt  to  escape  would 
quickly  cause  the  revolver  in  my  holster  to  speak  its 
mind. 

The  course  was  now  to  the  north,  and  for  some  hours 
we  held  our  way  in  silence,  through  the  small  hills  and 
deep  valleys  in  which  thickets  of  alders  and  cotton-wood 
trees  abounded.  In  many  places  the  grass  rose  above  our 
horses'  knees  thick  and  dr)',  the  hot  sun  of  the  summer,  now 
nearly  over,  had  made  it  as  sere  and  yellow  as  straw,  and 
it  sounded  against  the  horses'  legs  like  stalks  of  corn,  as  our 


Our  prisoner.  107 


file  of  horsemen  came  along  at  a  good  pace  through  hill 
and  dale. 

I  now  realized  as  I  rode  through  this  tangled  mass  of 
dry  vegetation  what  a  prairie  fire  must  be  when  it  has  such 
a  material  to  feed  on  in  its  rapid  flight  across  the  plains  in 
autumn.  For  the  first  time,  too,  as  I  rode  along  this  day, 
the  idea  of  my  being  the  leader  of  a  separate  movement  of  the 
character  of  a  branch  expedition  became  present  to  my 
mind.  I  felt  elated  to  think  that  in  such  a  very  short  space 
of  time  I  had  reached  the  real  home  of  adventure,  and  was 
bearing  my  part  in  the  wild  work  of  the  wilderness.  I  had 
each  day  learned  something  of  that  life  I  had  so  often  longed 
for,  and  as  my  experience  had  widened  out,  it  seemed  that 
each  item  of  knowledge  gained  had  also  lengthened  out  the 
time,  and  distance. 

I  could  scarcely  believe  that  it  was  but  a  week  since  we 
had  started  on  this  journey  with  only  the  hope  of  toiling  on 
day  by  day  into  the  prairie.  Already  we  had  become  actors 
in  a  real  adventure,  and  were  engaged  in  the  performance 
of  those  things  the  mere  recital  of  which  at  home  had  so 
often  given  me  the  keenest  pleasure. 

While  thinking  these  pleasant  thoughts  now  as  we  rode 
along,  I  nevertheless  watched  with  jealous  eye  the  security 
of  our  prisoner.  I  was  especially  anxious  to  take  the 
Assineboine  alive  into  camp ;  the  Cree's  method  would  on 
no  account  have  suited  me.     I  desired  to  be  able  to  hand 


io8  Red  Cloud. 


over  the  prisoner  to  Red  Cloud,  and  to  say,  **  Here  is  an 
Assineboine  brave  taken  by  your  dog.  The  Cree  wanted 
to  kill  him.  Dead  men  tell  no  tales ;  but  neither  can 
they  give  any  information.  From  this  man  you  will 
hear  all  news — the  Assineboine  plans  will  be  laid  bare  to 
you." 

Thus  ruminating  within  myself  we  held  our  way,  until  the 
time  had  come  for  changing  the  course  towards  the  west. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  valley  running  through  the  hills 
in  that  direction,  we  turned  abruptly  to  our  left,  and  riding 
for  about  two  hours  began  to  draw  nigh  the  edge  of  the 
broken  ground. 

The  sun,  now  low  upon  the  horizon,  poured  along  the 
little  valley  the  full  flood  of  his  evening  splendour.  Soft 
and  still  the  landscape  lay,  tinged  in  many  a  colour  of  green 
and  gold ;  for  the  first  shades  of  autumn  on  the  cotton- 
wood  trees  gave  back  the  salute  of  the  sunset  from  their 
bronzed  and  yellow  leaves,  and  the  green  of  longer-lived 
foliage  lay  still  intermixed  among  them,  as  fresh  as  though 
spring  had  but  lately  left  these  quiet  hillsides. 

At  last  we  reached  the  edge  of  the  hills  ;  before  us  the 
great  plain  lay  in  the  glory  of  the  sunset,  stretching  into 
what  seemed  an  endless  west:  it  was  ^n  ocean  of  green 
shored  by  a  sky  of  gold. 

But  I  had  other  things  to  think  of,  and  leaving  the 
prisoner  in  a  hollow  in  Donogh's  charge,  I  rode  to  the 


The  signal  fire.  109 


summit  of  one  of  the  hills  and  began  anxiously  to  scan 
the  plain  beneath.  No  trace  of  life  met  my  eye ;  the  great 
ocean  of  grass  held  upon  its  bosom  no  sign  of  existence. 
Then  I  set  myself  to  do  all  that  Red  Cloud  had  told  me. 
The  camp  was  made  some  little  distance  in  rear  amid  the 
shelter  of  the  hills.  Donogh  with  gun  in  hand  sat  sentry 
over  the  prisoner,  and  the  dog  lay  alternately  licking  his 
wounded  chest  and  gazing  ominously  at  his  enemy,  as  though 
the  very  smallest  provocation  would  induce  him  to  repeat 
his  onslaught  of  the  mid-day. 

By  the  time  camp  was  made  night  had  fallen.  I  had 
already  selected  my  ground  for  the  signal  fire ;  it  was  a  saddle- 
back depression  between  two  ridges,  it  was  fully  open  to 
the  plain  west  and  south-west,  but  a  higher  ridge  hid  it  from 
the  direct  south.  Here  I  made  a  small  bright  fire,  con- 
tinuing to  feed  the  flames  with  dry  wood,  which  cast  up  a 
bright  clear  light  about  three  feet  in  height.  For  half  an 
hour  I  kept  the  flame  steadily  burning;  then  quench- 
ing it,  I  returned  to  our  camp  to  find  supper  nearly 
ready. 

We  could  as  yet  only  communicate  with  the  Cree  by 
signs,  but  Donogh  was  quickly  becoming  an  adept  in  the 
sign  language  of  the  wilds,  and  he  and  the  Cree  had  ex- 
changed much  information.  The  prisoner  evidently  regarded 
me  as  his  sole  guarantee  for  safety,  and  his  face  brightened 
considerably  when  I  returned  to  camp. 


no  Red  CUoud. 


Another  half-hour  passed ;  supper  had  been  ready  some 
time,  and  the  Cree  and  the  Assineboine  had  already  fallen 
to  upon  their  portions  of  dry  meat.  I  began  to  look 
anxiously  towards  the  western  darkness  for  the  arrival  of 
the  Sioux. 


Ill 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  watched  one  halts — A  light  to  the  north-east — The  Stonies 
find  their  mistake — Distant  thunder — A  light  in  the  dark — • 
The  fire  wind — Saiive  qtti  petit — How  the  fire  was  lighted 
— We  ride  across  the  fire  field — Enemies  in  sight — A 
dilemma— Between  friend  and  foe — The  scout  throws  in  his 
lot  with  us — We  ride  to  the  rescue. 

I  MUST  leave  our  little  group  round  the  camp  fire,  anxiously 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  absent  one,  and  carry  my  readers 
away  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  Red  Cloud,  whom  we  left  far 
out  upon  the  plains,  under  the  vision,  at  a  long  distance, 
of  the  watchful  eyes  of  many  Assineboine  enemies. 

About  the  mid-day  hour  he  halted  by  the  edge  of  a  small 
pool  of  brackish  water,  let  his  horses  crop  the  short  grass, 
and  lay  down  himself  as  though  he  fully  intended  to  camp 
upon  the  spot  for  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  the  ensuing 
night  He  well  knew  that  all  his  movements  were  now 
under  the  closest  observation  from  the  distant  line  of  hills, 
and  each  move  he  made  was  the  result  of  much  forethought ; 
bit  by  bit  the  entire  line  he  was  pursuing,  had  been 
thought  out  during  the  previous  night  as  he  sat  watching 


112  Red  Ocxid. 


our  camp  in  the  aspen  thicket.  And  this  curious  course 
■which  he  had  held  to-day,  as  well  as  the  lines  upon  which 
he  had  directed  us  to  travel,  were  alike  the  result  of  careful 
plans  long  considered  in  every  detail. 

The  Assineboines  who  watched  his  progress  had,  in  fact, 
planned  an  expedition  to  intercept  his  further  course,  when 
suddenly  they  observed  him  halt,  and  camp  upon  the  open 
plain.  His  capture  now  appeared  to  them  to  be  certain ; 
they  had  only  to  wait  for  nightfall,  and  then  make  a  dash 
from  the  hills  upon  him,  carry  ofif  the  horses,  and,  if  he 
was  an  enemy,  take  his  scalp. 

They  therefore,  watched  with  impatience  the  decline  ot 
day,  and  as  soon  as  the  first  shades  of  twilight  were  thrown 
across  the  prairie  they  were  riding  hard  for  the  spot  where 
the  last  gleam  of  light  had  shown  them  the  solitary  traveller 
camped  in  fancied  security. 

But  no  sooner  had  these  first  shades  fallen,  than  the 
seemingly  unsuspecting  traveller  had  sprung  to  his  feet  and 
made  a  rapid  movement  towards  departure.  As  he  jumped 
into  his  saddle  a  faint  speck  of  light  began  to  glow  far  off 
towards  the  north-east ;  soon  it  was  seen  to  burn  into  a 
steady  flame.  Full  upon  the  beacon  Red  Cloud  held  his 
way.  It  was  his  object  to  make  as  much  distance  as  possible 
while  the  little  ray  of  light  still  burned,  so  he  galloped 
hard  over  the  level  ground.  All  at  once  it  disappeared  as 
suddenly  as  it  had  arisen,  but  the  line  it  had  given  him  he 


The  Ston  ics  find  their  m  is  take.  113 

had  marked  by  a  star  in  the  north-east  heavens,  and  he 
kept  on  with  unfaltering  pace. 

Anticipating  every  move  of  his  enemies,  he  felt  assured 
they  would  leave  the  hills  as  soon  as  twilight  promised  cover 
to  their  approach. 

If  he  had  allowed  the  fire  to  be  continued  in  our  camp, 
the  Assineboines  could  not  fail  to  see  it  when  they 
reached  the  neighbourhood  of  his  resting-place  in  the  plains  ; 
but  he  had  calculated  all  things  exactly,  and  when  about  an 
hour  after  nightfall  they  sought  in  vain  for  trace  of  man  or 
horse  upon  the  very  ground  where,  during  the  daylight,  they 
had,  as  they  thought,  marked  their  prey,  nothing  save  the 
dim  blank  of  the  prairie  wrapped  in  darkness  met  their  eyes, 
and  no  sound  came  to  their  listening  ears  save  the  long 
sigh  of  the  night-wind  through  the  dry  grass  of  the  plains. 

Then  all  at  once  it  flashed  upon  them.  It  was  Red 
Cloud,  the  Sioux,  whom  they  had  watched  all  day  upon 
the  prairie ;  he  had  placed  himself  thus  as  a  decoy  to  dis- 
tract their  attention  from  the  camp  where  lay  the  sick  Cree 
and  the  horses.  While  they  had  been  watching  this  "iOlitary 
Indian,  doubtless  the  others  had  slipped  away  to  some  dis- 
tant place  of  meeting,  and  the  much-coveted  prize  of  horses 
and  scalp  were  lost  to  them  for  ever. 

But  men  who  have  set  their  hearts  upon  gaining  soroe- 
♦.hing  which  they  eagerly  long  to  obtain  do  not  easily  relin- 
quish all  hope  of  success.     After  a  short  consultation  the 

1 


114  -^^^  Cloud. 


Assineboines  determined  to  return  to  their  camp,  and  early 
on  the  morrow  to  set  out  on  a  vigorous  pursuit  of  the  fugi- 
tives, who,  they  reasoned,  encumbered  by  stores  and  a 
wounded  comrade,  would  be  able  only  to  move  slowly  along. 
At  the  Sioux  camp  it  would  be  easy  to  strike  the  trail,  and  a 
couple  of  days'  riding  would  place  them  upon  the  skirts  of 
the  party  again. 

Arguing  thus  amongst  themselves,  and  feeling  that  the 
much-coveted  prize  might  still  be  theirs,  the  Assineboines 
returned  to  their  camp.  The  rage  of  the  trader  McDermoti 
knew  no  bounds  when  he  heard  the  result  of  the  stratagem 
by  which  the  Sioux  had  eluded  his  enemies.  Never  had 
such  a  chance  been  given  him  of  freeing  himself  for  ever 
from  the  terror  of  his  life — never  had  chance  been  so  utterly 
and  foolishly  thrown  away.  Bitterly  he  reviled  the  Assine- 
boines for  their  want  of  sagacity  in  thus  letting  slip  a  prize 
almost  within  their  grasp. 

"  I  gave  ye,"  he  said,  "  a  chance  of  becoming  at  one 
stroke  chiefs  among  your  tribe.  Ye  have  lost  that  chance  ; 
but  your  enemies  can't  be  far  away.  To-morrow,  if  ye  set 
out  at  daybreak,  and  do  not  rest  until  ye  have  overtaken 
them,  ye  will  yet  return  to  your  people  as  big  Indians." 

But  meantime  a  fresh  cause  for  anxiety  arose  amongst  the 
Assineboines  Their  comrade  who  had  gone  out  in  the 
morning  to  spy  the  camp  had  not  returned.  Some  mishap 
must  surely  have  befallen  him  ;  and  yet  it  seemed  difficult 


The  fire-wind.  115 


to  imagine  how  he  could  have  suffered  harm  at  the  hands 
of  a  wounded  Cree  and  a  couple  of  young  white  men.  The 
morning  would,  perhaps,  bring  him  forth  safe  and  sound. 

While  thus  around  the  camp-fire  of  the  Assineboine 
war-party  various  surmises  were  afloat,  and  different 
plans  were  being  formed  for  reversing  on  the  morrow  the 
mishaps  of  the  day  just  passed,  there  was  heard  a  low, 
distant  noise — a  sound  seemingly  far  away  in  the  night — 
that  caused  the  Indians  to  spring  suddenly  to  their  feet, 
and  gaze  anxiously  out  into  the  darkness.  And  then 
they  beheld  a  sight  which  the  glare  of  their  own  fire 
had  hitherto  concealed  from  them.  It  was  a  lurid  glow 
which  overspread  the  entire  northern  heaven.  Against 
this  red  light  the  trees  and  thickets  of  the  nearer  hills 
showed  black  and  distinct.  A  fresh  breeze  was  blowing 
from  the  north,  and  on  its  wings  came  the  low  roar  of 
flame — that  terrible  noise  which,  when  echoed  in  the 
full  volume  of  a  prairie  fire,  is  one  of  the  most  awful 
sounds  the  human  ear  can  listen  to.  And  now,  as  the 
Assineboines  looked  and  hstened,  the  roar  grew  each 
moment  louder,  the  glare  spread  into  broader  sheets  of 
light  across  the  north.  For  behind  the  fire  there  was 
rising  the  well  known  fire-wind,  which  came  to  fan  into 
furnace  flame  the  devouring  element,  and  to  hurl  it  in  more 
furious  bounds  along  the  quivering  earth. 

Borne  on  this  hot  blast,  the  roar  of  the  many-tongued 
I  2 


1 16  Red  Clojid. 


flame  came  louder  than  the  waves  against  the  rocks  in 
winter  tempest.  Within  the  vast  volume  of  sound  could  be 
distinguished  the  sharper  crackle  of  the  dry  trees  as  the  tide 
of  fire  reached  some  thickets,  and  at  a  single  bound 
swept  through  them,  from  end  to  end,  shooting  out  great 
tongues  of  flame  high  into  the  heavens,  and  sending  others 
to  leap  madly  on  towards  the  south  in  strides  that  mocked 
the  speed  even  of  wild  birds  to  escape  before  them. 

A  glance  had  been  sufficient  to  tell  the  Assineboines  of 
their  danger.  Wildly  they  rushed  for  their  horses,  and 
strove  to  get  together  their  arms.  Many  of  the  horses  had 
been  only  lately  turned  adrift,  and  these  were  easily  caught ; 
but  the  animals  belonging  to  the  trader  were  further  away, 
and  his  pack-saddles,  containing  his  provisions  and  several 
articles  of  trade — gunpowder,  lead,  flour,  tea,  sugar,  and  a 
small  bale  of  blankets — lay  on  the  ground  near  the  camp. 
Amidst  the  dire  confusion  of  the  scene,  while  the  Indians 
ran  hither  and  thither,  and  the  horses,  already  frightened  at 
the  roar  of  the  approaching  fire,  began  to  snort  in  terror, 
the  wretched  trader  might  have  been  seen  rushing  frantically 
amid  his  packs,  shouting  orders  that  were  unheeded,  and 
vainly  trying  to  get  his  goods  together. 

His  Indian  and  half-breed  attendants  meantime  rushed 
to  the  spot  where  the  horses  had  been  left,  and  managing  to 
secure  the  five,  came  riding  back  in  all  haste  with  them  to 
the  camp.     But  the  confusion  and  terror  of  all  concerned 


Sauve  qui  petit.  nj 


had  now  reached  the  wildest  pitch.  In  the  great  glare 
of  the  approaching  fire  faces  and  figures  were  plainly 
visible.  Each  man  seemed  only  to  think  about  his  own 
safety,  and  all  were  so  busy  at  their  own  work  that  they 
had  no  time  to  think  of  another's.  One  by  one  they 
began  to  get  away  from  the  scene,  all  taking  the  direc- 
tion of  the  plains,  and  soon  only  the  trader  and  his  two 
attendants  remained  in  the  camp.  By  dint  of  great  exer- 
tions the  saddles  were  placed  upon  three  of  the  horses ; 
but  it  was  impossible  to  get  the  heavier  packs  on  to  the 
animals. 

The  near  approach  of  the  fire,  and  the  multitude  of 
sparks  that  already  filled  the  air  around  where  they  stood, 
caused  the  horses  to  kick  and  plunge  violently,  and  it 
soon  became  apparent  that  a  longer  delay  would  only 
engulf  the  entire  party  in  ruin.  A  last  hope  seemed  to 
seize  McDermott.  There  was  a  small  pond  of  water  near 
the  camp ;  into  this  he  would  put  his  goods.  Much  would 
be  hopelessly  spoiled ;  but  many  of  the  articles  would 
sustain  but  little  damage,  and  he  would  return  again  to 
succour  them.  Hastily  acting  upon  this  idea  he  carried 
the  packs  into  the  pond,  and  laid  them  in  about  two 
feet  of  water,  not  far  from  the  shore.  The  half-breed 
helped  him  with  the  work.  The  Salteaux  stood  ready  with 
the  horses.  Then  the  trader  sprang  into  the  saddle,  and  all 
three  rode  wildly  from  the  scene.     It  was  a  close  shave. 


Ii8  Red  Cloud. 


Asihey  cleared  the  hills  the  tongues  of  flame  were  licking  the 
air  above  their  heads.  The  fragments  of  fire  were  falling  in 
showers  around  them.  Once  out  in  the  plain  they  were 
safe ;  the  grass  was  short  and  crisp,  and  the  flames  could 
make  only  a  slow  progress  upon  it. 

When  the  trader  and  his  two  companions  were  safe  be- 
yond the  range  of  the  fire,  they  looked  around  on  every 
side  for  their  late  friends ;  but  no  trace  could  be  seen  of 
man  or  beast.  The  great  mass  of  flame  made  visible  a  wide 
circle  of  prairie  ;  beyond  that  circle  all  was  profound  dark- 
ness. 

They  rode  on  farther  into  the  gloom.  The  circle  of  light 
began  to  decrease  in  area  as  they  got  farther  away  from 
the  blazing  hills.  Still  there  was  no  sign  of  life.  Their 
companions  had  evidently  deserted  them. 

McDermott  determined  to  encamp  where  he  was,  and  to 
trust  to  daylight  to  show  him  his  friends  or  restore  to  him 
at  least  some  portion  of  his  lost  goods.  The  Assine- 
boines  had  indeed  acted  in  a  cowardly  manner.  Th^y  had 
ridden  straight  away  into  the  plains  to  a  spot  many  miles 
distant.  A  sudden  panic  appeared  to  have  possessed  them. 
Abandoning  the  trader  to  his  fate,  they  had  retired  to  con- 
coct amongst  themselves  fresh  plans  for  the  future. 

Leaving  McDermott,  gloomily  watching  from  his  bleak 
bivouac  the  raging  fire  as  it  flew  along  its  course  to  the 
south,  we  must  come  back  to  our  camp,  where  sat  the  Cree, 


How  the  fire  was  lighted.  119 

Donogh,  the  Assineboine  prisoner,  and  his  capturers,  by  the 
fire  in  the  Wolverine  hills. 

The  Cree  and  his  prisoner  had  just  finished  their  meal  of 
dry  meat  and  tea — the  latter  a  luxury  which  Donogh  gave 
them  as  a  great  treat,  making  no  distinction  between  his 
ally  the  Cree  and  his  captiye  the  Assineboine — when  firom 
the  hill  close  by  there  sounded  the  low  plaintive  cry  of  a 
wolf. 

I  recognized  mstantly  my  friend's  signal,  and  made 
answer  in  the  fashion  the  Sioux  had  taught  me.  Then 
Red  Cloud  came  riding  up  into  the  circle  of  light  which 
surrounded  the  camp-fire,  and  safe  after  a  long  and  adven- 
turous day  our  little  prairie  party  stood  once  more  united. 

The  Sioux  did  not  lose  time,  however,  in  asking  questions 
or  in  listening  to  the  recital  of  the  day's  work.  There  was 
still  much  to  be  done  ere  it  was  time  to  sit 'down  and  eat  or 
rest.     The  questions  and  answers  would  keep. 

Bidding  me  follow  him,  and  telling  Donogh  and  the  Cree 
to  keep  watch,  with  his  gun  at  the  "  ready,"  over  the  pri- 
soner, whose  legs  were  still  firmly  fastened  together,  he 
walked  straight  from  the  camp  into  the  dark  hills  towards 
the  south. 

Walking  close  behind  him  in  his  footsteps,  I  waited 
anxiously  to  know  what  this  new  movement  portended.  I 
had  not  long,  however,  to  wait.  Some  little  distance  to  the 
south  of  the  camp  a  chain  of  lakelets,  partly  joined  together 


120  Red  Cloud. 


by  swamps,  ran  through  the  hills  from  east  to  west.  Passing 
over  one  of  the  causeways  of  hard,  dry  ground  which  lay  at 
intervals  through  this  chain,  and  going  round  a  small  lake 
until  he  had  reached  the  farther  side  of  the  water,  the  Sioux 
stopped  and  turned  to  me. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  I  am  going  to  fire  the  grass  along  the 
edge  of  this  water.  The  wind  blows  strongly  from  the  north 
— it  will  blow  stronger  when  this  grass  is  on  fire.  Standing  in 
the  wet  reeds  you  will  be  perfectly  safe  from  the  flames ; 
they  will  quickly  bum  away  from  you.  I  will  fire  the  grass 
in  many  places  along  this  line.  I  want  you  to  do  the  same 
to  the  east  while  I  do  it  to  the  west.  The  flames  will  not 
burn  back  towards  the  north  in  the  face  of  this  wind,  and 
across  these  wet  swamps,  but  to  the  south  !  Ah  !  there  you 
will  see  such  a  blaze  as  you  never  before  saw  in  your 
life  ! " 

So  saying,  he  struck  a  match  and  applied  it  to  the  dry 
and  withered  grass.  For  an  instant  it  flickered  low  amid  the 
blades  and  stems;  then  it  caught  fully.  A  sudden  gust  of  north 
wind  smote  it  and  drove  it  down  amid  the  roots  of  the  grass, 
and  then  it  rushed  wildly  away  up  the  inclined  plane  which 
rose  from  the  water  and  spread  out  to  either  side  in  widen- 
ing circles  of  vivid  fire. 

The  Sioux  tore  some  dry  grass  from  the  ground,  held  it 
in  the  blaze,  and  then  ran  quickly  along,  touching  the  grass 
as  he  went,  ar»d  leaving  behind  him  a  trail  of  fire.     On  the 


V^'^^ 
^^-'-^S^.'. 


Firing  the  prair 


We  ride  across  the  fire  field.  12 1 


other  side  I  did  the  same.  Wider  grew  the  void— faster 
down  the  wind  sped  the  rushing  flame.  In  a  very  short 
time  an  immense  band  of  fire  lay  across  the  hills — a  band 
that  moved  to  the  south  with  a  pace  that  momentarily  grew 
more  rapid— a  roar  that  increased  in  volume  every  instant, 
until,  in  a  great  surge  of  flame,  fanned  by  the  full  strength  of 
the  fire-wind,  the  torrent  fled  southward  over  hill  and 
valley  towards  the  camp  of  the  Assineboines. 

Half  an  hour  later  we  met  again  in  the  camp,  and  as  the 
roar  of  the  fire  grew  fainter  in  the  hills  we  sat  together  over 
our  supper,  and  had  full  time  to  talk  of  the  adventures  of 
the  day. 

Before  daybreak  next  morning  a  thick  rain  began  to  fall. 
The  Sioux  roused  me,  and  told  me  that  he  intended  to 
reconnoitre  the  site  of  the  Assinboine  camp,  to  which  he 
would  make  the  prisoner  lead  the  way.  He  explained  to 
the  captive  that  his  people  had  of  necessity  fled  from  the 
fire  ;  that  he  did  not  desire  to  be  brought  into  contact 
with  them,  but  that  he  wished  to  see  the  line  of  their  retreat. 
He  also  explained  to  the  prisoner,  that  while  he  had  no 
intention  of  taking  his  life  in  cold  blood,  yet  that  never- 
theless any  attempt  at  escape,  or  any  appearance  of  treachery, 
would  at  once  lead  to  his  (the  prisoner's)  being  shot. 
Donogh  and  the  Cree  were  left  in  the  camp,  and  as  they 
were  fully  armed  there  was  no  danger  to  apprehend  from 
attacL 


122  Red  Cloud. 


The  ground  lying  south  of  the  chain  of  marshes  was  now 
one  vast  black  waste.  It  would  have  been  impossible  to 
have  ridden  over  it  if  the  rain  had  not  extinguished  the 
glowing  ashes  at  the  roots  of  the  burnt  grass  and  cooled  the 
surface  of  the  ground.  Here  and  there  a  thicket  still  smoked, 
or  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  smouldered  in  the  morning  air ; 
but  the  rain  had  blotted  out  all  signs  of  fire  save  the  black- 
ened earth,  which,  under  the  influence  of  the  damp,  made 
the  entire  landscape  appear  as  if  it  had  been  overspread 
with  ink. 

Guided  by  the  Assineboine,  who  was  securely  tied  in  his 
saddle,  and  whose  left  arm  was  firmly  fastened  to  his  side, 
we  drew  nigh  to  the  site  of  the  abandoned  camp.  As  we 
gained  the  summit  of  a  hill  which  commanded  a  view  of 
the  place  from  the  north  side,  the  Sioux,  who  led  the  way 
with  the  prisoner  at  his  side,  pulled  in  his  horse  abruptly, 
and  motioned  me  to  hold  back ;  for  there,  by  the  edge  of 
a  small  pond  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  were  three  dark  figures, 
and  some  spare  horses  on  the  darker  ground.  A  glance 
had  sufficed  to  show  the  Sioux  that  one  of  these  figures  was 
a  white  man  ;  making  a  significant  gesture  to  the  prisoner, 
he  whispered  for  a  moment  into  his  ear.  A  dark  shadow 
crossed  the  face  of  the  Sioux  as  he  listened  to  his  captive's 
reply.  Here,  within  four  hundred  yards  of  him,  stood  his 
hated  enemy,  the  man  whose  life  he  sought,  the  murderer 
of  his  father.    And  yet  it  was  not  thus  he  had  longed  to 


Enemies  in  sight.  123 


meet  him.  For  the  two  men  who  were  with  his  enemy  he 
cared  Httle.  A  sudden  attack  upon  the  three  he  would  not  • 
have  shrunk  from,  even  though  the  odds  would  have  been 
desperate;  but  how  could  he  involve  another  in  such  a 
struggle?  and  what  should  he  do  with  the  Assineboine 
prisoner,  who  at  the  first  symptom  of  attack  would  turn 
against  his  captors  ? 

Rapidly  he  had  taken  in  all  these  things;  but  for  a 
moment  he  was  unable  to  frame  his  course  amid  so  many 
conflicting  thoughts.  Soon,  however,  his  mind  appeared 
made  up,  and  he  began  to  retrace  his  steps  in  the  direction 
from  which  we  had  come.  When  we  had  gained  a  sufficient 
distance  from  the  scene  he  again  halted,  and  spoke  to  me. 
"  There  are  some  people  in  front  whom  it  will  be  better 
that  I  should  examine  alone.  Return  with  the  prisoner  to 
our  camp ;  if  I  fail  to  rejoin  you  there  before  sunset,  you  may 
know  that  I  have  ceased  to  live.  My  horses  and  all  I 
possess  will  then  be  yours.  I  am  sorry  that  I  should  be 
forced  to  leave  you  thus ;  but  you  will  not  be  worse  off 
than  when  we  met  one  week  ago." 

Then  taking  my  hand,  he  shook  it  in  silence,  and  turned 
back  towards  the  ridge  from  whence  he  had  seen  the 
strange  figures. 

I  was  dumb  with  astonishment.  What  was  the  meaning  of 
this  strange  conduct  on  his  part?  I  tried  in  vain  for  an 
explanation.      I   remembered   that    the    Assineboine    had 


124  R^d  Cloud. 


spoken  to  the  Sioux,  and  that  it  was  the  information  he  had 
given  which  had  first  caused  the  change  in  my  friend's  plan. 
Instinctively  I  now  looked  towards  my  prisoner  in  the  hope 
of  finding  an  explanation  of  the  mystery.  The  prisoner 
met  my  look  with  an  expression  of  face  that  seemed  to  say, 
"I  know  what  you  are  thinking  of;  but  I  cannot  speak 
your  tongue." 

The  Indian  is,  however,  an  adept  in  the  art  of  communi- 
cating his  thoughts  by  sign  and  gesture.  There  are  few 
incidents  of  life  on  the  plains  that  he  cannot  portray  by  the 
motion  of  his  hands,  the  attitudes  of  his  body,  or  the 
expression  of  his  features.  There  is  in  fact  a  universal 
sign  language  common  to  all  the  various  tribes  over  the 
vast  wilderness,  and  when  Sioux  meets  in  peace  Arrapahoe, 
or  Crow  and  Blackfoot  come  together,  they  are  able  by 
means  of  their  sign  language,  to  exchange  with  each 
other  all  news  of  war,  chase,  or  adventure,  though  no 
spoken  word  will  have  passed  between  them. 

As  the  Assineboine  now  looked  me  full  in  the  face,  he 
began  by  instinct  to  express  his  meaning  by  signs.  He 
placed  his  head  resting  on  one  side  with  his  eyes  closed,  to 
indicate  a  camp  or  resting-place ;  then  he  pointed  to  him- 
self, and  held  up  the  fingers  of  one  hand  twice,  to  show  that 
it  was  the  camp  of  his  friends  the  Assineboines  that  he 
meant ;  then  he  touched  me  on  the  cheek  and  held  up  one 
finger,  at  the  same  time  pointing  in  the  direction  of  the 


.4^. 


The 


white  man  was  the  trader  McDermott. 


A  dilemma. 


125 


ridge  which  they  had  just  quitted,  and  moving  his  hand  in 
the  form  of  a  circle,  to  show  that  he  wished  to  carry  his 
companion  in  thought  beyond  the  circle  of  that  ridge. 
Again  he  pointed  to  my  face  and  repeatedly  held  up  one 
finger.  This  was  easily  understood,  it  meant  a  white  man ; 
and  following  this  clue  I  arrived  at  the  fact  that  in  the  camp 
of  the  Assineboines  there  had  been  a  white  man.  That  was 
enough  for  me  ;  my  friend  guessed,  and  guessed  quickly,  the 
rest  The  white  man  was  the  trader  McDermott.  One  of 
the  three  men  seen  by  the  Sioux  from  the  ridge-top  was 
the  enemy  he  had  so  long  sought  for,  and  now  he  had  gone 
back  to  risk  his  life  in  a  desperate  and  unequal  struggle  with 
this  inveterate  foe. 

I  looked  towards  the  ridge,  and  noticed  that  the  figure  of 
the  Sioux  was  no  longer  visible  upon  its  black  surface. 
He  was  evidently  following  the  valley,  to  gain  some  point 
from  which  he  might  make  a  closer  onslaught  upon  the  party. 

I  had  small  time  left  for  reflection ;  but  when  a  man 
keeps  one  great  object  steadily  in  view,  it  is  ever  an  easy 
matter  to  decide  upon  the  general  outline  of  the  course  he 
has  to  follow  ;  that  great  object  in  this  case  was  to  help  my 
friend— to  save  him,  if  possible,  in  the  desperate  venture  in 
which  he  was  about  to  engage.  I  could  not  accept  quietly 
the  part  which  in  this  instance  the  Sioux  would  have  assigned 
to  me.  Friendship  is  no  limited  liability,  and  in  the  peril  of 
the  work  we  had  undertaken  it  should  be  all  and  all  alike. 


126  Red  Cloud. 


The  presence  of  the  Assineboine  was,  however,  a  fact  not 
to  be  overlooked  in  the  affair.  It  would  have  been  an  easy 
matter  to  have  rid  myself  of  this  prisoner,  and  then  galloped 
direct  to  the  assistance  of  my  friend ;  but  I  could  not  enter- 
tain such  a  thought  for  a  second.  Life  taken  in  fair  fight 
had  little  terror  for  me ;  but  not  even  the  safety  of  my 
friend's  life,  or  of  my  own,  could  induce  me  to  slay  in  cold 
blood  a  fellow-creature. 

One  sign  I  made  to  the  Assineboine.  Holding  up  two 
fingers,  I  pointed  to  the  Assineboine  and  then  motioned  with 
my  hand  across  the  ridge.  The  question  was  understood,  and 
the  prisoner  shook  his  head  in  reply — the  other  two  men  whom 
we  had  seen  were  not  Assineboines.  That  was  all  I  wanted 
to  know.  In  an  instant  I  had  severed  the  cords  which  bound 
the  prisoner  in  his  saddle,  and  had  cut  free  his  left  arm  from 
its  binding  ;  then  I  motioned  with  my  hand  that  he  was  free 
to  go  whither  he  pleased.  Since  the  prisoner's  capture 
many  things  had  caused  him  unutterable  astonishment 
His  life  had  been  spared,  he  had  been  well  fed ;  his  leg, 
which  had  sustained  only  a  trifling  injury  from  his  encounter 
with  the  dog,  had  been  carefully  looked  after  by  the  man 
who  had  taken  him  prisoner;  and  here  now,  when  he  could 
fully  read  in  that  white  man's  face  the  reasons  why  he  (that 
white  man)  might  have  taken  his  life  in  order  to  be  free  to 
assist  his  comrade,  liberty  was  given  to  him,  and  he  was 
told  to  go  which  way  he  might  select. 


The  scout  throivs  in  his  lot  with  7cs.  127 

He  was  a  bold  and  adventurous  Indian,  this  Assineboine — 
perhaps  of  his  party  the  best  and  bravest.  Still  he  would 
not  have  scrupled  at  any  moment,  had  occasion  offered, 
to  make  an  effort  for  his  freedom  at  the  expense  of  the  lives 
of  those  around  him  ;  but  now,  the  generous  act  of  the  white 
man  struck  him  in  a  totally  new  light,  and  he  sat  on  his 
horse  unable  to  shape  a  distinct  line  of  action  amidst  the 
many  conflicting  thoughts  that  thronged  his  brain. 

There  had  existed,  in  days  when  his  people,  the  Assine- 
boines,  were  one  of  the  most  formidable  tribes  on  the 
northern  prairies — when  Teltacka,  or  the  Left-handed,  ruled 
from  the  Souri  to  the  South  Saskatchewan — there  had  been,  he 
knew,  a  custom  in  the  tribe  for  young  men  to  show  unexpected 
clemency  to  a  vanquished  foe ;  but  never  had  he  heard, 
amid  the  stories  told  over  the  camp  fire  of  deeds  of  by- 
gone battle  or  of  ancient  prowess,  such  an  example  of 
generosity  and  courage  as  that  now  before  him.  As  a 
boy  he  had  heard  his  father  tell  how  once,  in  a  battle 
with  the  Gros  Ventres  near  the  Knife  river,  he  had  spared 
the  life  of  a  young  man  whose  horse  had  plunged  into  a 
snow-drift,  leaving  its  rider  completely  at  his  mercy,  and 
how  years  after  the  same  Gros  Ventre  had  repaid  the  gift  by 
saving  his  former  benefactor  from  the  fury  of  the  victors, 
when  the  might  of  the  Assineboines  was  crushed  by  the 
same  band  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri.  These  tilings 
now  all  flashed  through  the  mind  of  the  Assineboine,  in  a 


128  Red  Cloud. 


tenth  of  the  time  it  has  taken  me  to  put  into  words  the  scene 
in  which  he  found  himself  suddenly  set  at  liberty,  and  free 
to  follow  what  course  he  pleased. 

I  did  not  wait  to  see  what  my  late  prisoner  would  decide 
upon,  but  turning  my  horse  quickly  from  the  spot  I  rode 
in  the  direction  of  the  place  where  the  Sioux  had  been 
last  seen.  I  had  not  gone  very  far  before  I  was  aware  that 
my  late  prisoner  was  following  in  my  wake.  An  idea  of 
treachery  at  once  crossed  my  mind  ;  but  looking  back  I 
saw  the  Assineboine  making  signs  of  friendship,  I  pulled 
up  and  awaited  his  approach.  As  he  came  up  he  pointed 
to  his  defenceless  state ;  then  to  the  bow  and  arrows  which 
I  had  taken  on  the  previous  day,  and  which  I  still  carried 
slung  over  ray  shoulder ;  then  the  Assineboine's  arm  was 
directed  towards  the  ridge,  and  placing  his  hands  in  the 
attitude  of  those  of  a  man  drawing  an  arrow  to  full  stretch 
at  the  moment  of  firing,  he  indicated  plainly  enough  his 
meaning.  He  would  help  in  the  coming  struggle  if  he  had 
arms  to  do  so.  I  handed  him  his  bow  and  quiver,  and 
then  we  two,  so  lately  captor  and  captive,  rode  forward  as 
comrades  to  the  fisiht. 


129 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  fight— The  Sioux  and  the  swamp— The  trader's  triumph- 
Red  Cloud  fights  on  foot— The  trader  finds  he  has  other  foes 
to  reckon  with — The  Assineboine  draws  a  straight  arrow — 
The  trader's  flight-«-Our  losses  and  gains— Winter  supplies — 
Our  party  is  completed — "  All's  well  that  ends  well." 

There  was  no  time  now  for  reconnoitring  the  ground  before 
the  attack  began.  There  was  in  fact  nothing  for  it  but  to 
ride  straight  over  the  ridge,  and  lunge  at  once  into  the 
struggle,  for,  as  we  rode  briskly  up  the  black  incline  towards 
the  top  of  the  hill  the  sharp  report  of  a  shot  already  echoed 
through  the  hills,  a  signal  that  the  fray  had  begun.  It  was 
even  so. 

The  Sioux,  following  the  valley  round  the  foot  of  the 
ridge,  had  debouched  close  to  his  foe,  and  had  put  his 
horse  straight  for  the  spot  where  the  trader  was  still  engaged, 
on  the  edge  of  the  pool,  in  loading  the  stores  which  he  had 
just  carried  from  the  water,  upon  the  backs  of  his  pack 
animals. 

The  presence  of  the  Sioux  became  instantly  known  to 
his  enemy.  Relinquishing  his  work,  the  trader  seized  his 
gun  from  the  ground  where  it  was  lying,  and  dropping  upon 

K 


130  Red  Cloud. 


one  knee  he  took  deliberate  aim  at  the  advancing  horseman. 
The  Sioux  bent  low  upon  his  horse's  neck  as  the  white 
smoke  flashed  from  the  muzzle,  and  the  bullet  whistled  over 
his  lowered  head,  burying  itself  in  the  hill-side, 

Meanwhile  the  trader's  two  attendants  had  sprung  to  their 
saddles,  apparently  more  ready  for  flight  than  for  fight.  The 
onslaught  of  the  Sioux  was  so  sudden  and  so  unexpected 
that  these  men  had  no  time  to  realize  the  fact  that  there 
was  only  one  assailant ;  more  than  this,  they  had  engaged 
with  their  master  to  trade,  not  to  fight;  and,  though 
neither  of  them  was  thoroughly  deficient  in  courage,  the 
first  impulse  of  both  on  this  occasion,  was  to  fly  ;  and  had 
the  Sioux  been  permitted  to  continue  his  onward  career 
full  upon  McDermott  he  would  have  found  himself  alone 
face  to  face  with  his  hated  foe  ;  but  such  was  not  to  be. 

Between  the  Sioux  and  the  trader  there  lay  a  small 
swampy  spot,  half  stagnant  water,  half  morass,  not  more 
than  six  paces  across ;  it  ran  inland  from  the  pool  for  some 
distance.  The  blackened  ground  lying  on  every  side  had 
completely  hidden  from  the  keen  eye  of  the  Indian  the 
dangerous  nature  of  the  spot.  All  at  once  he  saw  before 
his  horse,  now  at  full  gallop,  this  fatal  obstacle.  To  have 
checked  his  horse  would  have  been  no  easy  matter,  so  im- 
petuous was  his  rate  of  motion  ;  but  had  it  been  possible  to 
have  stayed  his  own  charger,  he  would  have  presented  such 
a  sure  mark  for  the  keen  eyes  of  the  men  on  the  further  side 


The  Sioux  and  the  szvamp.  131 . 

of  the  pond  as  to  ensure  the  destruction  of  both  horse  and 
rider.  There  was  nothing  for  it  then  but  to  go  full  at  the 
dangerous  spot,  and  trust  to  strength  of  horse  and  skill  of  rider 
to  come  through. 

Raising  the  horse  a  little  in  his  pace,  the  Sioux  held 
straight  upon  his  course ;  the  soft  ground  broke  beneath  the 
horse's  feet,  but  so  rapid  were  the  movements  of  his  legs, 
and  so  strong  were  his  efforts  to  draw  himself  clear  of  the 
spongy  soil,  that  for  a  second  or  two  it  seemed  as  though 
he  would  pull  through  and  win  the  other  side.  At  the  far  edge, 
however,  a  softer  and  deeper  spot  opened  beneath  the  vigorous 
hoof,  and,  despite  all  efforts,  the  brave  little  animal  sank 
helpless  to  his  girths. 

The  Sioux  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  in  another  second  he 
had  gained  the  dry,  firm  ground  at  the  farther  side;  but 
the  water  of  the  swamp  had  for  a  moment  covered  his 
gun,  the  priming  had  become  hopelessly  clogged,  and  the 
weapon  utterly  useless  to  him.  The  mishap  had  given  his 
adversary  time  for  reflection  and  preparation  ;  and  the  two 
retainers,  realizing  the  fact  that  they  were  attacked  by  only 
one  assailant,  and  that  even  that  one  was  already  half 
engulfed  amid  a  swamp,  took  heart  and  came  down  to  the 
assistance  of  their  employer ;  while  the  trader  himself  had 
profitted  by  the  delay  to  jump  into  his  saddle  and  to  fall  back 
out  of  reach  of  the  Sioux  in  order  to  reload  his  gun. 

Long  practice  in  following  the  herds  of  buffalo  over  the 

K    2 


132  Red  Cloud. 


prairies  at  headlong  speed,  had  made  him  an  expert  hand 
at  rapid  loading  and  firing  on  horseback.  To  throw  from 
his  powder-horn  a  charge  of  powder  loosely  into  the  gun ;  to 
spit  from  his  mouth  a  ball  down  the  muzzle,  so  that  the 
action  caused  at  the  same  instant  the  powder  to  press  out  into 
the  priming-pan  and  the  bullet  to  fit  against  the  powder — 
these  motions  of  the  buffalo-hunter  took  him  but  a  few 
seconds,  and  wheeling  his  horse  at  the  charge,  he  now  came 
thundering  down  full  at  the  Sioux.  But  though  litde  time 
had  been  lost  in  these  movements  of  loading,  enough  had 
passed  to  enable  Red  Cloud  to  change  his  tactics  and 
to  secure  himself  from  the  first  furious  onslaught  which  he 
saw  impending.  Springing  across  the  treacherous  morass,  he 
gained  the  side  on  which  he  had  first  entered  it,  and  with 
his  bow  at  the  "  ready  "  he  calmly  awaited  the  charge  of  his 
enemy. 

While  yet  fully  one  hundred  yards  distant,  McDermott 
saw  and  realized  the  change  on  the  part  of  the  Sioux,  and 
knowing  the  fatal  nature  of  the  ground,  he  forbore  not  only 
to  risk  his  horse  across  the  swamp,  but  to  approach  within 
fifty  yards  of  its  nearer  side— a  distance  which  would  have 
brought  him  within  range  of  his  enemy's  fire ;  he  however 
looked  upon  the  fate  of  the  Sioux  as  certain ;  and  well  it 
might  appear  so  to  him. 

All  chance  of  escape  was  now  cut  off;  the  horse  still  lay 
helpless  in  the  morass,  buried  to  the  girths ;  his  rider,  active 


Red  Cloud  fights  on  foot.  133 

and  expert  though  he  was  on  foot,  could  only  hope  to  delay 
his  fate  when  pitted  in  fight  against  three  horsemen,  and 
with  nothing  but  a  bow  and  arrow  to  oppose  to  their  fire- 
arms. If  the  position  could  not  be  forced  in  front,  there  was 
ample  room  to  turn  its  flank  and  move  round  it  on  the  hill 
side.  Thus  menaced  in  front  and  attacked  in  rear,  the 
position  of  the  Sioux  might  well  seem  desperate. 

Fully  did  Red  Cloud  in  these  few  seconds  of  time  realize 
the  dangers  that  encompassed  him  ;  nevertheless,  he  thought 
far  less  of  his  own  peril  than  of  his  inability  to  meet  his 
deadly  foe.  Bitterly  he  repented  of  his  rash  onslaught,  and 
still  more  bitter  were  his  regrets  that  he  should  have  left 
his  trusty  double-barrelled  rifle — which  he  usually  carried 
slung  upon  his  back — in  the  camp  that  morning,  and  that  he 
had  no  more  effective  weapon  now  than  the  bow  and  arrows, 
which  he  could  so  dexterously  handle,  but  which  were  only  of 
use  at  fifty  or  sixty  yards,  while  his  rifle  would  have  enabled 
him  to  cover  his  enemies  at  four  times  that  distance. 
McDermott  was,  as  we  have  said,  no  novice  in  the  art  of 
prairie  war  or  chase.  He  quickly  saw  the  strength  or  weak- 
ness of  his  adversary's  position. 

Calling  to  his  attendants  to  watch  the  side  of  the  small 
swamp  nearest  to  where  he  stood,  and  thus  prevent  the  Sioux 
from  again  executing  a  movement  across  it,  he  wheeled  his 
horse  rapidly  to  one  side,  and  rode  furiously  towards  the 
base  of  the  hill,  so  as  to  pass  round  upon  the  dry  ground  at 


134  Red  Cloud. 


the  end  of  the  swamp,  and  bear  down  upon  his  foe  from 
behind.  As  he  passed  his  retainers,  he  shouted  to  them  to 
ride  up  and  fire  upon  the  Sioux,  promising  that  the  horse 
and  all  that  belonged  to  its  rider  should  be  the  reward  of  him 
who  would  bring  the  foe  to  the  ground. 

The  French  half-breed  showed  little  inclination,  however, 
to  render  the  already  long  odds  against  the  Sioux  still  more 
desperate;  but  the  Salteaux  belonged  to  a  tribe  long  at 
deadly  enmity  with  the  Sioux  nation,  and  he  also  inherited 
much  of  the  cowardly  ferocity  of  his  own  tribe,  who,  unable 
to  cope  in  the  open  country  with  their  enemies,  never 
scrupled  to  obtain  trophies  which  they  could  not  win  in 
war,  by  the  aid  of  treacherous  surprise  or  dastardly  night 
attacks.  The  present  was  a  kind  of  warfare  peculiarly  suited 
to  his  instincts,  and  he  now  rode  forward  to  fire  upon  the 
Sioux  across  the  swamp,  at  the  moment  when  he  would  be 
engaged  with  a  more  formidable  enemy  on  his  own  side. 

These  movements,  quickly  as  they  passed,  were  all 
noted  by  the  watchful  eye  of  the  Sioux.  He  cast  one 
quick  look  at  his  horse,  in  the  hope  that  it  might  be  pos- 
sible to  extricate  him  from  the  swamp  ere  the  trader  had  yet 
got  round  the  northern  side ;  but  a  glance  was  enough  to 
tell  him  that  all  hope  in  that  quarter  was  gone,  for  the 
ooze  had  risen  higher  upon  the  poor  animal,  and  nothing 
but  the  united  labour  of  two  or  three  hands,  could  now  draw 
him  from  the  quicksand.     His  head  was  still  free,  however. 


McDcrmott  nulled  un  his  horse. 


The  trader  has  other  foes  to  reckon  ivith.  135 

and  Red  Cloud  had  time  to  notice  in  his  own  moment  of 
peril  how  the  eye  of  his  faithful  friend  and  long-tried  servant 
turned  upon  him  what  seemed  a  look  of  sympathy  in  his 
great  extremity.  But  now  the  trader  had  gained  the  end  of 
the  swamp  and  was  already  beginning  to  wheel  his  horse 
towards  where  the  Sioux  stood.  A  natural  impulse  bid  the 
latter  move  forward  to  meet  his  foe.  Short  as  was  the 
space  that  separated  the  two  men,  rapid  as  was  the  pace  at 
which  one  was  mornentarily  lessening  that  distance,  Red 
Cloud  rushed  forward  to  meet  the  advancing  horseman. 
The  trader's  plan  was  to  keep  just  out  of  the  range  of 
the  Sioux'  arrows,  and  to  manoeuvre  his  horse  so  that  he 
could  get  frequent  shots  at  his  enemy  without  exposing  him- 
self to  the  slightest  danger.  He  knew  too  well  with  what 
terrible  accuracy  the  red  man  can  use  his  bow  at  any  object 
within  fifty  yards  of  his  standpoint.  McDermott  was  a 
true  shot,  whether  on  horseback  or  on  foot ;  he  knew,  too, 
all  those  shifts  of  body  by  which  the  Indian  manages  to  par- 
tially cover  himself  by  his  horse  at  moments  of  attack ;  but 
on  the  present  occasion  he  intended  simply  to  continue 
hovering  round  the  Sioux,  who  was  just  in  the  angle  formed 
by  the  swamp  and  the  lake,  and  to  take  his  time  in  every 
shot  he  would  fire.  Pulling  up  his  horse  at  about  eighty 
yards'  distance,  he  placed  his  gun  to  his  shoulder  and  laid  his 
head  low  upon  the  stock,  aiming  right  over  the  ears  of  his 
horse  upon  the  advancing  figure  of  the  Sioux.    But  while  yet 


1 36  Red  Cloud. 


his  finger  paused  ere  pressing  the  trigger,  the  sharp  ring 
of  a  bullet  smote  his  ear ;  his  horse  gave  a  convulsive  spring 
upwards,  and  the  trader,  retaining  his  seat  with  difficulty, 
fired  wildly  and  harmlessly  into  the  air.  Then,  ere  he  could 
sufficiently  recover  his  suddenly  startled  senses,  there  came 
loud  shouts  of  advancing  men  from  the  ridge  upon  his  left. 
Turning  his  head  in  that  direction,  he  beheld  two  horsemen 
riding  at  a  furious  gallop  down  upon  him.  His  life  was 
dearer  to  him  than  the  hope  of  destroying  his  enemy. 
Fortunate  at  finding  that  his  horse  had  only  received  a 
flesh  wound,  and  that  he  was  still  able  to  carry  a  rider, 
McDermott  wheeled  quickly  to  the  rear,  to  retire  the  way  he 
had  come.  As  he  did  so,  an  arrow  grazed  his  shoulder,  and 
whistled  past  into  the  ground  ;  then,  from  the  ridge  another 
shot  rang  out,  this  time  fired  in  the  direction  of  the  Sal- 
teaux,  who  had  advanced  to  within  sixty  paces  of  the  Sioux 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  swamp.  The  ball  went  suffi- 
ciently near  its  mark  to  cause  that  worthy  to  abandon  his 
attempt  at  murder,  and  to  execute  a  rapid  retrograde  move- 
ment ;  indeed,  so  thoroughly  did  he  appear  convinced  that 
the  battle  was  irrevocably  lost,  that  he  ceased  not  to  continue 
his  flight,  quite  unmindful  of  any  fate  which  might  overtake 
either  his  master  or  fellow-servant. 

McDermott  seeing  that  the  game  was  up,  now  made  a 
final  effort  to  save  his  pack  animals  from  capture  ;  but  my 
blood  was  now  thoroughly  roused — the  fever  of  fight  was 


A  final  effort.  1 37 


on  me,  and  no  power  on  earth  could  stay  my  onward 
career. 

Followed  closely  by  the  Assineboine,  I  swept  round  by 
the  head  of  the  swamp,  and  made  straight  for  the  spot 
where  the  trader  was  endeavouring  to  get  his  pack  animals 
into  motion.  As  I  rode  along  at  full  gallop,  I  passed  the 
French  half-breed  at  some  distance ;  the  latter  dropped  his 
gun  across  his  bridle  arm  and  fired  in  front  of  my  horse.  The 
ball  struck  the  animal  in  the  neck,  and  plunging  forward, 
horse  and  rider  were  instantly  stretched  upon  the  ground  in 
one  confused  mass.  But  the  Assineboine  was  riding  close 
in  my  wake. 

Seeing  the  action  of  the  half-breed,  he  turned  his  horse 
slightly  to  the  right,  and  with  an  arrow  drawn  to  the  fullest 
stretch  of  his  stout  Indian  bow,  he  bore  full  upon  the  flank 
of  this  new  enemy. 

Too  late  the  half-breed  saw  his  danger,  and  turned  to  fly. 
'  At  thirty  paces'  distance  the  Assineboine  let  fly  his  shaft, 
with  so  true  an  aim  that  the  arrow  pierced  the  half-breed's 
leg  and  buried  itself  deeply  in  his  horse's  side.  He 
did  not  await  another  shot ;  drawing  a  pistol,  he  fired 
wildly  at  the  Assineboine,  and  followed  the  Salteaux  in  his 
flight. 

Meantime  the  Sioux  had  crossed  the  swamp,  and  was 
approaching  swiftly  on  foot  to  this  new  scene  of  combat. 
The  trader  beheld  with  rage  the  sudden  turn  which  the 


138  Red  Cloud. 


fight  had  taken.  His  horse  had  suffered  Uttle  from  his  flesh 
wound,  and  now  that  the  only  two  steeds  whose  pace  and 
mettle  were  matches  for  his  own  were  disposed  of,  he  could 
still  easily  distance  any  attempt  at  pursuit ;  but  to  delay 
longer  in  endeavouring  to  save  his  goods  would  soon  have 
cost  him  his  life.  Red  Cloud  was  drawing  rapidly  near — 
the  Salteaux  and  the  half-breed  had  fled.  For  a  moment 
he  thought  of  falling  back  to  continue  the  fight  at  longer 
range,  using  his  horse  to  carry  him  from  ridge  to  ridge ;  but 
now  another  rider  suddenly  appeared  upon  the  sky-line  on 
the  side  from  which  the  first  attack  had  been  delivered.  It 
was  Donogh  riding  down  to  the  rescue.  This  fresh  accession 
to  the  strength  of  his  enemies  decided  him. 

Utterly  beaten  at  all  points,  and  flinging  an  impotent 
malediction  towards  his  enemies,  McDermott  hastened  from 
the  scene  of  the  disaster,  leaving  two  pack-horses  and  all  his 
stores  in  the  hands  of  the  victors. 

Donogh  now  joined  us.  He  was  wild  with  excitement, 
and  his  joy  at  finding  me  safe  knew  no  bounds.  For  some 
time  after  our  departure  from  camp  he  had  sat  quiet,  but  the 
Cree  had  told  him  by  signs  that  a  fight  was  probable, 
and  then  he  could  stand  inaction  no  longer.  He  had 
followed  our  trail ;  as  he  neared  the  scene  of  action,  the 
report  of  fire-arms  had  told  him  the  struggle  had  already 
begun ;  and  then  he  had  galloped  straight  to  the  rescue. 
Seeing  me  on  the  ground,  his  first  idea  was  to  charge  the 


The  Assineboine  drazvs  a  straight  arrozv.       139 

trader,  and  it  was  this  new  and  impetuous  onset  that  finally 
decided  McDermott's  flight 

The  Sioux  made  it  his  first  care  to  ascertain  what 
damage  had  befallen  his  friend.  I  had  half  risen  from  the 
ground ;  but  the  violence  of  the  shock  had  been  so  great  that 
it  was  some  little  time  before  I  fully  understood  what  was 
passing  around.  As  soon  as  Red  Cloud  had  ascertained 
that  I  had  sustained  no  greater  injury  than  the  concussion 
the  fall  had  given  me,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
Assineboine,  whose  aid,  at  the  most  critical  moment,  had 
completely  turned  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  It  was  in  his 
own  noble  nature  to  comprehend  the  change  which  had 
worked  upon  our  late  prisoner  and  made  him  a  staunch 
and  firm  friend ;  he  took  the  hand  of  the  Assineboine,  and 
shook  it  warmly.  "  I  owe  you  much  for  this  day,"  he  said  ; 
"  I  shall  begin  to  repay  it  from  this  moment.  Help  me  to 
draw  my  horse  from  yonder  swamp,  and  then  we  shall  see  to 
our  prizes." 

So  saying,  but  first  securing  the  pack  animals,  and 
giving  the  lariat  which  held  them  into  my  hands,  the 
Sioux,  Donogh,  and  the  Assineboine  turned  to  rescue  the 
horse  from  the  swamp  where  he  had  lain,  sinking  gradually 
deeper,  since  that  disastrous  moment  when  first  breaking 
through  the  spongy  soil  he  had  so  nearly  ended  for  ever  the 
career  of  his  rider. 

By  dint  of  great  exertions,  working  with  leather  lines 


I40  .  Red  Cloud. 


passed  around  the  neck  and  quarters  of  the  horse,  they 
at  length  succeeded  in  drawing  him  from  the  morass.  The 
Sioux  was  ovetjoyed  at  once  more  recovering  his  long-tried 
horse ;  for  a  moment  he  half  forgot  the  bitterness  of  having 
lost  his  enemy,  in  the  pleasure  of  finding  himself  still  the 
owner  of  this  faithful  friend. 

But  the  full  importance  of  the  victory  just  gained  only 
burst  upon  our  little  party  when  we  came  to  examine  the 
goods  that  had  fallen  to  us  as  victors.  The  two  pack-horses 
had  only  been  partly  loaded,  and  many  of  the  parcels  and 
bags  still  lay  in  loose  heaps  upon  the  ground  ;  they  were  all 
dripping  with  water,  having  been  only  recently  brought  from 
out  of  the  lake,  where  they  had  lain  since  the  alarm  of  fire  on 
the  previous  night ;  but  a  careful  examination  showed  that 
they  had  sustained  little  damage  from  the  water.  It  is  well 
known  that  flour  lying  closely  .packed  in  a  sack  resists  for 
a  great  time  the  action  of  damp,  the  portion  nearest  to 
the  sack  becomes  a  soft  sort  of  cement,  which  prevents 
the  water  from  penetrating  more  than  a  couple  of  inches 
further  in.  Thus,  the  three  sacks  of  fine  Red  River  flour 
formed  a  most  precious  treasure  to  men  whose  winter  hut 
was  to  be  built  still  farther  among  the  vast  solitudes  than  the 
spot  they  were  now  on.  A  small  barrel  of  gunpowder,  cop- 
pered on  the  inside,  was  of  course  perfectly  water-tight ;  a 
case  of  knives,  with  some  axe-heads  and  saws,  only  re- 
quired to  be  dried  and  cleaned  to  be  again  in  perfect  order ; 


Our  losses  and  gains.  14 1 

a  few  hours'  exposure  to  sun  and  wind  would  suffice  to  dry 
the  blankets  and  flour ;  the  tea,  most  precious  article,  was  to 
a  great  extent  saved  by  being  made  up  in  tin  canisters — 
only  that  portion  of  it  which  was  in  lead  paper  had  suf- 
fered injury ;  and  the  sugar,  though  the  wet  had  quite 
penetrated  through  the  bag,  could  still  be  run  down  by 
the  action  of  fire  to  the  consistency  of  hard  cakes,  which 
would  be  quite  serviceable  for  use  in  that  state.  Two  bags 
of  salt,  though  wet,  were  also  serviceable. 

Of  course  such  things  as  shot,  bullets,  and  a  few  hard- 
ware articles,  had  suffered  no  injury  whatever. 

Thus  as,  one  by  one,  all  these  things  were  unpacked 
and  laid  out  upon  the  ground,  we  realized  how  for- 
tunate had  been  the  chance  that  had  thrown  so  many 
valuable  essentials  of  prairie  life  into  the  possession  of  our 
party. 

"  We  are  now,"  said  the  Sioux,  "  quite  independent  of 
every  one.  We  have  here  supplies  which  will  last  us  for  the 
entire  winter  and  far  into  next  year.  You,  my  friend,"  he 
said  to  the  Assineboine,  "  will  continue  with  us,  and  share 
all  these  things ;  they  are  as  much  yours  as  they  are  ours. 
If  you  decide  to  join  us,  even  for  a  while,  you  will  live  as 
we  do.  We  are  on  our  way  far  west'  to  hunt  and  roam  the 
plains  ;  we  will'winter  many  days'  journey  from  here.  If  it 
should  be  your  wish  to  go  and  rejoin  your  people,  one  of 
these  horses  and  a  third  of  these  things  shall  be  yours  to 


142  Red  Cloud. 


take  away  with  you ;  but  if  you  remain  with  us,  you  will 
share  our  camp,  our  fire,  our  food." 

The  Assineboine  did  not  ponder  long  upon  his  decision ; 
to  return  to  his  people  would  have  been  to  open  many  causes 
of  quarrel  with  them  or  with  the  trader  or  his  agents.  The 
new  life  offered  everything  that  an  Indian  could  covet. 
Red  Cloud  was  a  chief  of  the  Sioux — a  people  who  had 
ever  been  as  cousins  to  his  people — whose  language  closely 
resembled  his  own.  "  Yes  he  would  go  west  with  these 
men,  even  to  where  the  sun  set." 

The  Assineboine — who  in  future  shall  bear  the  name  by 
which  he  was  first  known  to  us,  of  the  scout — had  possessed 
himself  of  the  half-breed's  gun,  which  that  worthy  had 
dropped  at  the  moment  he  received  the  arrow  wound.  His 
steed,  a  thoroughly  serviceable  Indian  pony,  had  both  speed 
and  endurance,  and  was  therefore  suited  for  any  emergency 
which  war  or  the  chase  might  call  forth.  My  horse  had 
been  the  only  loss  in  the  affair ;  but  in  his  place  there  had 
been  a  gain  of  two  good  steeds,  and  there  were  spare  goods 
in  the  packs  sufficient  to  purchase  a  dozen  horses  from  any 
Indian  camp  the  party  might  reach. 

While  the  Sioux  and  the  scout  were  busily  engaged  in 
looking  through  the  trader's  captured  stores,  I  sat  revolving 
in  my  mind  every  incident  of  the  recent  struggle.  On  the 
whole  I  felt  well-pleased ;  it  was  my  first  brush  with  an 
enemy,  and  I  had  not  flinched  from  fire  or  charge. 


All's  zvell  that  ends  ivell.  143 

From  the  moment  of  my  first  shot  from  the  ridge  top — 
a  shot  fired  at  two  hundred  yards'  range — to  my  last  on- 
slaught upon  the  retreating  trader,  I  had  never  lost  my 
head ;  eye,  hand,  and  brain  had  worked  together,  and  I  had 
unconsciously  timed  every  move  to  the  demand  of  the 
passing  moment. 

I  fully  realized  the  reasons  why  Red  Cloud  had  decided 
not  to  involve  me  in  his  struggle  with  the  trader,  but  I  could 
not  help  saying  to  my  friend  when  we  were  about  to  leave 
the  spot,  "  We  were  to  have  been  brothers  in  war,  as  well 
as  in  peace.     You  have  not  kept  your  word  fairly  with  me." 

"  All's  well  that  ends  well,"  said  the  Sioux.  "  Henceforth 
our  fights  shall  be  shared  evenly  between  us." 

Having  stripped  the  dead  horse  of  his  saddle  and  trap- 
pings, I  mounted  one  of  the  captured  animals,  and  his  load 
divided  between  the  other  animals,  the  whole  party  set  out 
at  a  rapid  pace  for  our  camp. 


144  R<:d  Cloud. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

We  again  go  west — Hiding  the  trail— Red  and  white  for  once  in 
harmony — Peace  and  plenty — An  autumn  holiday — We  select 
a  winter's  camp — The  Forks — Hut-building — Our  food  sup- 
ply— The  autumn  hunt — The  Great  Prairie — Home  thoughts — 
Indian  instincts — The  Lake  of  the  Winds — Buffalo — Good 
meat — A  long  stalk — The  monarch  of  the  waste — A  stam- 
pede— Wolves — The  red  man's  tobacco. 

As  we  rode  back  to  camp,  the  Sioux  learned  from  the  scout 
all  that  had  happened  in  the  camp  of  the  Assineboines, 
from  the  time  that  he  had  himself  brought  news  of  the  pre- 
sence in  the  hills  of  the  disabled  Cree  and  his  protectors, 
until  the  moment  when  he  had  been  captured  by  the  united 
efforts  of  the  dog  and  his  masters. 

The  Sioux  listened  eagerly  to  the  story  of  the  trader's 
having  literally  set  a  price  upon  his  head ;  and  when  he  re- 
flected that  all  the  precautions  which  he,  Red  Cloud,  had 
taken  had  been  done  in  complete  ignorance  of  the 
machinations  of  his  enemy,  and  only  from  casually  learning 
from  the  Cree  that  a  party  -of  hostile  Indians  had  passed 
him  on  the  previous  night,  he  felt  how  true  is  that  lesson 


We  agai7i  go  West.  x^z, 

in  war  which  enjoins  never  neglecting  in  times  of  danger  fo 
guard  against  the  worst  even  though  the  least  may  only  be 
threatened. 

But  Red  Cloud  learned  from  the  story  of  the  scout 
information  for  future  guidance,  as  well  as  confirmation  of 
the  course  he  had  already  followed.  He  realized  the  fact 
that  though  the  fire  had  already  freed  him  from  the  presence 
of  the  Assineboines,  yet,  that  it  could  only  be  a  short  re- 
spite ;  the  bribe  offered  by  the  trader  was  too  high  to  allow 
these  men  to  relinquish  all  hope  of  taking  prizes  which 
were  to  make  them  great  Indians  for  the  rest  of  their 
lives.  The  necessity  of  quickly  shifting  his  ground,  and  of 
leaving  altogether  that  part  of  the  country,  became  so  fully 
apparent  to  him  that  he  lost  no  time  in  communicating  to 
us  his  plan  of  action. 

It  was,  to  march  that  evening  about  ten  miles  towards 
the  north,  and  then  to  strike  from  the  hills  due  west  into 
the  great  plain.  Being  heavily  loaded  with  stores,  we  could 
not  hope  by  dint  of  hard  marching  to  outstrip  our  enemies ; 
but  by  taking  unusual  precautions  to  hide  oui  trail,  we  might 
succeed  in  successfully  eluding  the  watchful  eyes  of  the 
Assineboines. 

A  hasty  dinner  followed  the  return  of  the  party  to  camp, 
and  then  preparations  for  departure  were  at  once  made. 
The  Cree  had  made,  in  the  rest  and  care  of  the  last  two 
days,  more  progress  to  recovery  than  in  the  whole  period 

L 


146  Red  Cloud: 


of  his  former  convalescence,  and  he  was  now  well  able  to 
take  his  share  in  the  work  of  striking  camp. 

When  men  bivouac  in  the  open  it  takes  but  little  time  to 
make  a  camp  or  to  quit  it,  and  ere  the  sun  had  set  the 
whole  party  had  got  in  motion,  and,  led  by  the  Sioux,  were 
threading  their  course  through  the  hills  farther  towards  the 
north. 

The  rain  had  ceased,  but  the  grass  was  still  too  wet  to 
burn,  so  that  the  simple  expedient  of  setting  fire  to  the 
prairie  in  order  to  hide  a  trail,  was  in  this  instance  im- 
possible. As,  however,  the  point  of  departure  from  the 
hills  for  the  west  was  the  point  most  essential  to  obliterate, 
the  Sioux  did  not  so  much  care  that  our  trail  while  in  the 
hills  could  easily  be  followed. 

Not  until  midnight  did  he  give  the  word  to  camp,  and 
the  first  streak  of  dawn  found  us  again  in  motion.  While 
the  morning  was  still  young  we  arrived  at  a  small  river 
which  flowed  out  from  the  hills  into  the  plain,  and  pursued, 
far  as  the  eye  could  determine  to  the  west,  a  course  sunken 
in  a  naiTOW  valley  deep  beneath  the  level  of  the  prairie.  Here 
was  the  point  of  departure.  The  stream  was  shallow,  and  the 
current  ran  over  a  bed  of  Sand  and  pebbles.  The  Sioux, 
Donogh,  and  I,  led  the  pack-horses  along  the  centre  of  this 
river  channel,  while  the  scout  and  the  Cree  were  directed  to 
ride  many  times  to  and  fro  up  the  farther  bank,  and  then  to 
continue  their  course  towards  the  north  for  some  miles. 


Hiding  the  trail.  j  47 


It  was  Red  Cloud's  intention  to  camp  about  fifteen  miles 
lower  down  the  stream;  he  would  only  keep  his  horses  in 
the  bed  of  the  channel  for  one  hour,  by  that  time  he  would 
have  gained  a  considerable  distance  down  stream ;  then 
selecting  a  dry  or  rocky  place,  we  would  have  left  the 
channel  and  continued  our  course  along  the  meadows  on 
one  side. 

When  the  scout  and  the  Cree  had  put  some  miles  between 
them  and  the  stream  they  were  to  turn  sharp  to  their  left 
hand;  first  one,  and  later  on  the  other,  and  then  rejoin 
us  some  time  during  the  following  day.  By  these  plans 
the  Sioux  hoped  to  foil  any  pursuers  who  might  be  on  his 
trail,  and  he  would  certainly  succeed  in  delaying  a  pursuit 
until  the  fine  weather  would  again  make  the  grass  dry 
enough  to  allow  it  to  burn. 

Down  the  centre  of  the  stream  we  led  the  pack-horses 
in  file,  and  away  to  the  north  went  the  scout  and  the  Cree. 
It  was  toilsome  work  wading  along  the  channel  of  the  river, 
which  in  some  places  held  rocks  and  large  loose  stones ; 
but  by  little  and  little  progress  was  made,  and  ere  sunset 
the  dry  ground  was  once  more  under  foot,  and  our  party 
was  pursuing  a  rapid  course  along  the  meadows  to  the  west. 

Red  Cloud  had  told  the  scout  that  he  would  await  him 
at  the  Minitchinas,  or  Solitary  Hill,  a  conical  elevation 
in  the  plains  some  twenty  miles  away  to  the  west.  At  the 
north  side  of  this  hill  our  whole  party  came  again  together 

L    2 


148  Red  Cloud. 


about  the  middle  of  the  following  day,  and  after  a  hearty 
meal  we  turned  our  faces  towards  that  great  plain  which 
stretches  from  the  base  of  this  solitary  mound  into  what 
seemed  an  endless  west. 

Everybody  was  in  high  spirits ;  even  the  dog  had  quite 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  arrow-wound,  and  the 
scout  and  he  had  become  firm  friends. 

It  was  a  curious  group  this,  that  now  held  its  course  into 
the  western  wilds. 

There  were  representatives  of  three  of  those  strange  families 
of  the  aboriginal  race  of  North  America — that  race  now 
rapidly  vanishing  from  the  earth,  and  soon  only  to  be  known 
by  those  wild  names  of  soft  sound  and  poetic  meaning  which, 
in  the  days  of  their  glory,  they  gave  to  ridge,  lake,  and 
river,  over  the  wild  wilderness  of  their  vast  dominions; 
and  two  white  men  from  a  far-distant  land,  alien  in 
race,  strange  in  language,  but  bound  to  them  by  a  sym- 
pathy of  thought,  by  a  soldier  instinct  which  was  strong 
enough  to  bridge  the  wide  gulf  between  caste  and  cplour, 
and  make  red  and  white  unite  in  a  real  brotherhood — a 
friendship  often  pictured  in  the  early  dreams  (if  the  red 
race  when  the  white  man  first  sought  the  wilds,  but  never 
fully  realized  in  all  these  long  centuries  of  war  and  strife, 
save  when  the  pale-faced  stranger  whom  they  called  the 
Black  Robe,  came  to  dwell  amongst  them  and  to  tell  them 
of  a  world   beyond   the   grave,  more   blissful   than   their 


It  was  a  curious  group  this,  that  now  held  its  course  into  the  western  wilds. 


Peace  and  plenty.  149 


fabled  happy  hunting-grounds,  where  red  men  and  white 
were  to  dwell,  the  servants  of  One  Great  Master. 

And  now  days  began  to  pass  of  quiet  travel  over  the 
autumn  prairies — days  of  real  enjoyment  to  me,  who  hour 
by  hour  read  deeper  into  the  great  book  which  nature  ever 
holds  open  to  those  who  care  to  be  her  students — that  book 
whose  pages  are  sunsets  and  sunrises,  twilights  darkening 
over  interminable  space,  dawns  breaking  along  distant 
horizons,  shadows  of  inverted  hill-top  lying  mirrored  in 
lonely  lakes,  sigh  of  west  wind  across  measureless  meadow, 
long  reach  of  silent  river,  stars,  space,  and  solitude. 

Ten  days  of  such  travel  carried  our  little  party  far  into 
the  west.  "VVe  had  reached  that  part  of  the  northern  plains 
which  forms  the  second  of  those  sandy  ridges  or  plateaux 
which  mount  in  successive  steps  from  the  basin  of  the 
great  lake  Winnipeg,  to  the  plains  lying  at  the  base  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

In  this  great  waste  game  was  numerous.  Buffalo  roamed 
in  small  bodies  hither  and  thither  ;  cabri  could  be  seen 
dotting  the  brown  grass,  or  galloping  in  light  bounds  to  some 
vantage  hill,  from  whence  a  better  survey  of  the  travellers 
could  be  had ;  wolves  and  foxes  kept  skulking  in  the 
prairie  depressions,  and  dodged  along  the  edges  of  ridges 
to  scent  or  sight  their  prey.  The  days  were  still  fine  and 
bright ;  but  the  nightly  increasing  cold  told  that  winter  was 
slowly  but  surely  coming  on. 


150  Red  Cloud. 


It  was  now  the  middle  of  September,  early  enough  still  for 
summer  travel,  but  it  would  soon  be  necessary  to  look  out 
for  some  wintering-ground,  where  wood  for  a  hut  and  fuel 
could  be  easily  obtained,  and  where  the  grass  promised  food 
for  the  horses  during  the  long  months  of  snow. 

Almost  every  part  of  this  vast  ocean  of  grass  had  become 
thoroughly  known  to  Red  Cloud.  Land  once  crossed  by 
a  red  man  is  ever  after  a  living  memor)-  to  him.  He  can 
tell,  years  after  he  has  passed  along  a  trail,  some 'of  the 
most  trifling  landmarks  along  it ;  a  bush,  a  rock,  a  sharply 
marked  hill,  will  be  all  treasured  in  his  memor}' ;  and  though 
years  may  have  elapsed  since  his  eye  last  rested  upon  this 
particular  portion  of  the  great  prairie,  he  will  know  all  its 
separate  features,  all  the  little  hills,  courses,  or  creeks  which 
lie  hidden  amid  the  immense  spaces  of  this  motionless  ocean. 

For  some  days  the  Sioux  had  been  conning  over  in  his  mind 
the  country,  seeking  some  spot  lying  within  easy  reach  of 
where  he  was  now  moving  which  yielded  what  our  party 
required— timber,  fuel,  and  grass.  A  few  years  earlier  he 
had  camped  at  the  point  of  junction  of  two  rivers,  the  Red 
Deer  and  the  ]\Iedicine,  not  more  than  four  days'  journey  to 
the  north-west  of  where  he  now  was.  He  remembered  that 
amid  a  deep  thicket  of  birch,  poplar,  and  cotton-wood,  there 
stood  a  large  group  of  pine-trees.  If  fire  had  spared  that 
part  of  the  prairie,  he  knew  that  the  alluvial  meadows  along 
the  converging  rivers,  would  yield  rich  store  of  winter  food 


Seeking  a  winter  camp.  151 

for  the  horses.  He  knew,  too,  that  in  other  respects  the 
spot  had  many  recommendations  in  its  favour ;  it  lay 
ahnost  in  the  centre  of  that  neutral  zone  between  the  Cree 
country  and  the  sandy  wastes  of  the  Blackfeet  nation,  and 
that  it  was  therefore  safe  in  winter  from  the  roving  bands  of 
these  wild  tribes,  whose  warfare  is  only  carried  on  during 
the  months  of  spring,  summer,  and  autumn.  All  these 
thiigs  combined  made  him  fix  upon  this  spot  for  the  winter 
cam  ping-ground,  and  he  began  to  shape  the  course  of  the 
party  more  to  the  north,  to  see  if  the  place  held  still  in  its 
sheltered  ridges  all  the  advantages  it  had  possessed  when 
he  had  seen  it  for  the  first  and  last  time. 

Riding  along  one  sunny  mid-day,  he  explained  to  me  the 
prospect  before  us. 

"  It  is  getting  late  in  the  season,"  he  said  ;  "  all  the  grass 
is  yellow ;  the  wind  has  begun  to  rustle  in  the  dry  seeds 
and  withered  prairie  flowers  ;  the  frost  of  night  gets  harder 
and  colder.  At  any  moment  we  may  see  a  great  change  ; 
that  far  off"  sky-line,  now  so  clear  cut  against  the  prairie, 
would  become  hidden ;  dense  clouds  would  sweep  across 
the  sky,  and  all  the  prairie  would  be  wrapped  in  snow-drift. 
"  The  winter  in  this  north  land  is  long  and  severe  ;  the 
snow  lies  for  months  upon  the  plains,  in  many  feet  in  thick- 
ness it  will  rest  upon  yon  creek,  now  so  full  of  bird-life, 
The  cold  will  then  be  intense ;  all  the  birds,  save  the  prairie- 
grouse,  the  magpie,  and  the  whisky  jack,  will  seek  southern 


Red  Cloud. 


lands;  the  buffalo  will  not,  however,  desert  us,  they  may 
move  farther  north  into  the  Saskatchewan,  and  wolves,  foxes, 
and  coyotes  will  follow  in  their  wake.  Neither  horse  nor 
man  can  then  brave  for  any  time  the  treeless  plains. 

"  We  must  prepare  for  the  winter,"  he  went  on,  "  and 
my  plan  is  this  :  some  days'  march  from  this  is  a  spot  which, 
when  I  last  saw  it,  had  around  it  all  that  we  shall  require  for 
our  winter  comfort.  Where  two  rivers  come  together  there 
stands,  sheltered  among  hills,  a  clump  of  pine-trees.  The 
points  of  the  rivers  are  well  wooded,  and  the  marshes  along 
the  banks  hold  wild  vetch,  and  the  pea  plant  of  the  prarie 
grows  through  the  under-bush,  high  above  the  snow,  giving 
food  to  horses  in  the  worst  seasons  of  the  year. 

"  I  don't  know  any  fitter  place  for  winter  camp  in  all  tlie 
hundreds  of  miles  that  are  around  us.  We  are  now  bound 
for  that  spot,  and  if  things  are  as  I  last  saw  them,  we  shall 
make  our  hut  in  the  pine  wood  and  settle  into  our  winter- 
quarters  ere  the  cold  has  come  We  have  still  much  to  do, 
and  it  is  time  we  set  *^o  work." 

I  heard  with  joy  these  plans  for  the  winter.  The  life  was 
still  so  new  to  me — the  sense  of  breathing  this  fresh  bright 
atniosphere,  and  of  moving  day  by  day  through  this  great 
ocean  of  grass,  was  in  itself  such  pleasure,  that  I  had  latterly 
ceased  almost  altogether  to  think  much  about  the  future, 
feeling  unbounded  confidence  in  my  Indian  friend's  skill  and 
forethought. 


Ah  autumn  holiday.  153 

Donogh  and  I  had  in  fact  been  enjoying  the  utmost  bliss 
of  perfect  freedom — that  only  true  freedom  in  life,  the 
freedom  of  fording  streams,  crossing  prairies,  galloping  over 
breezy  hill-tops,  watching  wild  herds  in  their  daily  habits  of 
distance,  seeing  them  trail  along  slowly  into  golden  sunsets, 
or  file  in  long  procession  to  some  prairie  stream  for  the 
evening  drink ;  or  better  still,  marking  some  stray  wolf  into 
a  valley  where  he  thouglit  himself  unseen,  and  dashing  down 
upon  him  with  wild  huUoo  ready  for  the  charge,  while  the 
silent  echoes  wake  to  the  clash  of  hoof  and  ring  of  cheer. 
All  these  things,  and  many  more,  had  filled  the  hours  of  our 
life  in  the  past  month  to  such  a  degree,  that  our  spirits 
seenied  to  have  widened  out  to  grasp  the  sense  of  a  freedom 
as  boundless  as  the  wilderness  itself. 

It  was  on  the  third  day  following  the  conversation  above 
recorded,  that  we  came  in  sight  of  a  low  dark  ridge,  showing 
itself  faintly  above  the  northern  horizon. 

Flowing  in  many  serpentine  bends,  a  small  creek  wound 
through  the  prairie  at  our  left  hand,  cotton-wood  clusters 
fringed  the  *'  points  "  of  this  stream,  and  long  grass  grew 
luxuriantly  between  the  deep  bends,  which  sometimes  formed 
almost  a  figure  eight  in  the  roundness  of  their  curves.  Our 
party  moved  in  a  straight  line,  which  almost  touched  the 
outer  points  of  these  deep  curves,  and  from  the  higher 
ground  along  which  we  marched,  the  eye  could  at  times 
catch  the  gUnt  of  water  amid  the  ends  of  grasses,  and  mark 


1 54  Red  Cloud. 


the  wild  ducks  sailing  thickly  on  the  rushy  pools.  I  had 
used  my  gun  frequently  during  the  morning,  and  when  the 
mid-day  hour  had  come  we  had  a  plentiful  supply  of  wild 
ducks  hanging  to  our  saddles. 

In  this  life  in  the  wilderness  I  had  early  learned  the 
lesson  of  killing  only  what  was  needed  to  supply  the  wants 
of  the  party.  When  wild  ducks  were  so  plentiful,  it  would  of 
course  have  been  easy  to  shoot  any  quantity  of  them ;  but  that 
habit  of  civilized  sport  which  seeks  only  the  "  bag  "  had  long 
since  ceased  to  influence  me,  and  I  had  come  to  regard  the 
wild  creatures  of  the  prairie,  birds  and  beasts,  as  far  more 
worthy  of  study  in  life  than  in  death.  That  terrible  misnomer 
*'  good  sport "  had  for  me  a  truei  significance.  It  meant 
watching  the  game  by  little  and  little,  and  killing  only  what 
was  actually  required  for  the  use  of  our  fellow-travellers  and 
myself  During  the  mid-day  halt  on  this  day  Red  Cloud 
held  a  long  conversation  with  the  other  Indians  upon  the 
place  they  were  now  tending  to.  The  Assineboine  had 
never  visited  the  spot,  the  Crce  had  been  there  on  a 
war-party  two  summers  ago  ;  but  it  was  now,  he  thought,  so 
late  in  the  season  that  there  would  be  little  danger  of  meeting 
any  roving  bands  of  Blackfeet,  and  the  Crees  he  knew  to  be 
far  away  towards  the  eastern  prairies. 

It  would  have  been  difficult  to  have  imagined  a  more 
perfect  scene  of  a  mid-day  camp  than  that  in  which  our 
I'ttle    party    found   itself  on   this    bright   autumnal   day. 


The  Forks.  155 


The  camp  fire  was  made  at  the  base  of  a  round  knoll, 
which  ran  from  the  higher  plateau  of  the  prairie  into  one 
of  the  deep  bends  of  the  creek ;  upon  three  sides  a  thick 
fringe  of  cotton-wood  lined  the  edges  of  the  stream ;  the 
golden  leaves  of  poplars  and  the  bronzed  foliage  of  the 
bastard  maple  hung  still  and  bright  in  the  quiet  September 
day.  Immediately  around  the  camp  grew  small  bushes  of 
wild  plum,  covered  thickly  with  crimson  and  yellow  fruits  of 
delicious  flavour. 

Ah,  what  a  desert  that  Avas  !  When  the  wild  ducks 
and  the  flour  gelettes  had  been  eaten,  a  single  shake 
of  the  bush  brought  down  showers  of  wild  sweet  fruit, 
and  when  we  had  eaten  all  we  could,  bags  were  filled  for 
future  use. 

But  even  such  prairie  repasts  must  come  to  an  end,  and 
it  was  soon  time  to  saddle  and  be  off.  So  the  horses  were 
driven  in,  and  resuming  our  course,  the  evening  found  us  on 
the  banks  of  the  Red  Deer  river,  not  far  from  its  point  of 
junction  with  the  Medicine.  We  camped  that  night  upon 
the  banks  of  the  stream,  and  early  next  day  reached 
the  point  of  junction.  A  ford  was  soon  found,  and  to  the 
Sioux'  great  joy  no  trace  of  fire  was  to  be  seen  in  the 
meadows  between  the  rivers,  or  on  the  range  of  hills  that 
lay  to  the  north  and  east ;  all  was  still  and  peaceful  as  he 
had  last  seen  it.  The  pine  bluft'  yet  stood  dark  and  solemn 
at  the  point  where  the  rivers  met,  and  the  meadows,  as  our 


156  Red  Cloud. 


party  rode  through  them,  were  knee-deep  in  grasses  and 
long  trailing  plants. 

And  now  began  in  earnest  a  period  of  hard  work.  First 
the  small  lodge  of  dressed  skins  was  pitched  upon  a  knoll 
amid  tlie  pine-trees  ;  then  the  saddles  and  stores  were  all 
made  safe,  upon  a  rough  stage  supported  upon  poles  driven 
fast  into  the  ground.  Next  began  the  clearing  of  trees  and 
brushwood  on  the  site  selected  for  the  hut.  It  was  a  spot 
close  to  the  point  formed  by  the  meeting  of  the  two  rivers, 
but  raised  about  twenty  feet  above  the  water,  and  partly 
hidden  by  trees  and  bushes.  Tall  pines  grew  on  the  site, 
but  the  axe  of  the  Sioux  and  the  scout  soon  brought  down 
these  giants,  and  made  clear  the  space  around  where  the  hut 
was  to  stand. 

It  was  wonderful  to  watch  the  ready  manner  in  which 
the  Indians  worked  their  hatchets;  never  a  blow  missed 
its  mark,  each  falling  with  unerring  aim  upon  the  spot 
where  the  preceding  one  had  struck;  then  a  lower-struck 
cut  would  cause  the  huge  splinters  to  fly  from  the  trunk, 
until,  in  a  few  moments  the  tree  crashed  to  the  earth  in  the 
exact  line  the  Indians  wished  it  to  fall. 

Although  a  novice  at  woodman's  craft,  I  was  no  idle  specta- 
tor of  the  work.  If  a  man  has  a  quick  eye,  a  ready  hand,  and 
a  willing  heart,  the  difficulties  that  lie  in  things  that  are  un- 
known to  us  are  soon  overcome.  Every  hour's  toil  made  a 
sensible  improvement  in  my  work.     I  soon  learnt  how  to 


Hut-building  1S7 


roughly  square  the  logs,  and  to  notch  the  ends  of  them  so 
that  one  log  fitted  closely  to  the  other. 

Donogh  and  the  wounded  Cree  meantime  looked  after  the 
horses,  gathered  fuel  for  the  fire,  and  cooked  the  daily  meals 
of  our  party,  and  often  gave  a  hand  at  the  lifting  of  log  or 
labour  of  construction.  Thus  the  work  went  on  without 
intermission,  and  day  by  day  the  little  hut  grew  in  size. 
All  day  long  the  sound  of  wood-chopping  echoed  through 
the  pine  wood  at  the  point,  over  the  silent  rivers,  causing 
some  passing  wolf  to  pause  in  his  gallop  and  listen 
to  the  unwonted  noise  ;  but  no  human  ear  was  there  to 
catch  it,  or  human  eye  to  mark  the  thin  column  of  blue 
smoke  that  rose  at  eventime  above  the  dark  pine-tops  when 
the  day's  work  was  over.  There  was  no  lack  of  food  either. 
With  a  few  hooks  and  lines  Donogh  managed  to  do  good 
work  among  the  fishes  in  the  rivers.  The  creeks  and  ponds 
still  held  large  flocks  of  wild  ducks,  and  many  a  fat  black 
duck  fell  to  a  steady  stalk  of  the  Cree,  whose  crawling  powers 
were  simply  unmatched.  The  black-tailed  buck  were 
numerous  in  the  thickets  around,  and  with  so  many  things 
the  larder  never  wanted  for  game,  venison,  wild  fowl,  or 
fish. 

Thus  the  days  went  by,  and  at  last  the  hut  was  finished 
and  ready  for  occupation.  It  was  an  oblong  structure, 
measur.ng  twenty- five  feet  by  twenty.  A  low  door  gave 
admission  upon  the  south  side ;  east  and  west  held  windows 


158  Red  Clotid. 


of  parchtr.ent-skin  drawn  over  a  wooden  frame  that  opened 
and  shut  on  leather  hinges.  At  the  north  side  stood  the 
fireplace,  a  large  hearth,  and  a  chimney  capable  of  holding  a 
quantity  of  pine  logs.  Half  the  wooden  door  frame  was  also 
bound  with  parchment  skins ;  thus  plenty  of  light  could  be 
obtained  in  rough  weather,  and  when  the  days  would  be  still 
and  fine  both  door  and  windows  could  be  open. 

"When  the  snow  has  fallen,"  said  Red  Cloud  to  us, 
"  the  light  from  the  ground  will  be  very  great.  The  snow 
hanging  on  the  pine  boughs  will  also  light  up  the  place,  and 
the  winter's  day  will  be  brighter  than  you  can  imagine.  At 
night  our  logs  will  blaze  brightly  upon  the  hearth." 

The  fireplace  and  chimney  were  built  of  stones  and  mud. 
The  Indians  had  carefully  mixed  the  latter  so  as  to  ensure 
its  standing  the  great  heat  of  the  winter  fires.  The  logs 
composing  the  walls  were  all  of  pines,  or,  more  properly 
speaking,  of  white  spruce  ;  they  had  been  roughly  squared 
and  notched  at  the  end,  to  allow  of  their  catching  each  other 
and  fitting  tightly  together ;  mud  and  moss  had  then  been 
pressed  into  the  interstices  so  as  to  make  them  perfectly 
air-tight.  The  roof  was  composed  of  long  reed-grass,  cut  from 
a  neighbouring  swamp  and  dried  in  the  sun.  The  floor  was 
plastered  with  a  coating  of  mud,  which,  when  fully  dry,  made 
a  smooth  and  firm  surface.  Altogether  the  interior  presented 
an  aspect  of  great  comfort — rude,  it  is  true,  but  still  clean, 
bright,  and  cheerful. 


Our  food  supply.  159 


It  was  a  marvel  to  me  how  all  this  labour  had  been  done, 
and  this  result  achieved,  with  only  a  few  rude  implements — • 
a  couple  of  axes,  a  saw,  a  few  gimlets  and  awls,  and  those 
wonderful  knives  which  the  Indians  themselves  make  from 
old  files — those  knives  with  which  a  ready  man  can  fashion  a 
canoe,  a  dog-sled,  or  a  snow-shoe,  with  a  beauty  of  design 
which  no  civilized  art  can  excel. 

But  although  shelter  for  the  winter  had  been  thus  provided, 
an  equally  important  want  had  still  to  be  attended  to ;  a 
supply  of  meat  sufficient  to  last  three  months  had  to  be 
obtained. 

The  Red  Cloud  had  often  spoken  to  me  of  the  expedi- 
tion which  we  had  still  before  us  in  the  first  month  of  the 
winter,  and  now  that  the  hut  was  finished  the  time  had  come 
for  setting  out  in  quest  of  buffalo. 

"  Of  all  the  winter  food  which  the  prairie  can  give,"  said 
he  to  me,  "  there  is  no  food  like  the  meat  of  the  buffalo. 
The  time  has  now  come  when  the  frost  is  sufficiently  keen 
all  day  to  keep  the  meat  frozen,  therefore  all  we  kill  can  be 
brought  in  ;  none  of  it  will  be  lost.  The  last  buffalo  we 
saw,"  he  continued,  "  were  on  the  plains  south  of  the  Elk 
river;  they  were  scattered  herds  of  bulls.  The  cows 
were  then  absent  three  days'  march  south  of  that  ground ; 
the  herds  were  moving  very  slowly  to  the  west.  About  a 
week's  journey  from  here  there  is  a  small  lake  in  the  plains, 
called  the  Lake  of  the  Wind,  from  the  ceaseless  movement  of 


l(5o  Red  Cloud. 


its  waters.  Day  and  night,  even  when  the  winds  are  still, 
the  waters  of  that  lake  move  and  dash  with  noise  against 
the  pebbles  on  the  shore.  It  is  a  favourite  haunt  for  buffalo. 
To  that  lake  we  shall  steer  our  course ;  for  four  days  we 
shall  have  to  cross  a  bare  plain,  on  which  no  tree  or  bush 
grows ;  but  at  the  lake  there  will  be  wood  in  the  caverns 
around  the  shores,  and  we  can  get  shelter  for  our  tent, 
and  fuel  for  fire,  there.  The  horses  are  now  all  strong  and 
fat,  and  they  will  be  able  to  stand  the  cold,  no  matter  how 
severe  it  may  come." 

The  Sioux  spoke  truly;  a  prairie  horse  is  all  right  if  he  be 
fat.  It  matters  little  in  winter  what  he  may  be  in  speed,  or 
strength,  or  activity  ;  as  long  as  he  is  thick  fat  there  is  always 
a  month's  work  in  him. 

Early  on  the  day  following  the  completion  of  the  hut,  all 
the  horses  were  driven  in  from  the  meadows  in  which  they 
had  spent  the  last  three  weeks.  They  all  looked  fat  and 
strong. 

During  some  days  past  the  Cree  had  been  busy  preparing 
sleds,  for  light  snow  had  now  fallen ;  and  although  it 
had  not  Iain  long  upon  the  ground,  it  was,  nevertheless, 
likely  that  ere  the  time  for  the  return  of  our  party  had 
arrived  the  ground  would  be  white  with  its  winter  covering. 
These  sleds  would  be  carried  crossways  upon  a  horse  until 
the  snow  would  allow  of  their  being  drawn  along  the 
ground ;  they  would  each  carry  about  500  pounds  of  meat, 


We  start  for  the  south-zvest.  i6i 


and  that  would  form  an  ample  supply  for  the  winter,  with 
the  venison  and  wild  game  that  could  be  obtained  in  a  ten- 
mile  circle  around  the  hut. 

All  preparations  having  been  finished,  Red  Cloud,  Donogh, 
the  scout,  and  myself  started  on  the  following  morning, 
bound  for  the  south-west.  We  took  with  us  a  small  tent, 
six  horses,  and  plenty  of  powder  and  ball.  The  Cree  and 
the  dog  remained  to  take  charge  of  the  hut.  We  expected 
to  be  absent  about  one  month.  It  was  the  20th  of  October, 
a  bright,  fair  autumn  day ;  hill  and  plain  lay  basking  in  a 
quiet  sunlight,  the  sky  was  clear  and  cloudless,  the  air  had 
in  it  that  crisp  of  frost  which  made  exercise  a  pleasure. 

Winding  along  the  meadows  of  the  Red  Deer,  the  pine 
bluff  at  the  Forks  was  soon  lost  to  sight  behind  its  circling 
hills. 

The  evening  of  the  third  day  after  quitting  the  hut  at  the 
Forks  found  our  little  party  camped  on  the  edge  of  that 
treeless  waste  which  spreads  in  unbroken  desolation  from 
the  banks  of  the  Eagle  Creek  near  the  North  Saskatchewan 
to  the  Missouri.  The  spot  where  the  lodge  was  pitched 
bore  among  the  half-breed  hunters  of  the  plains  the  title  of 
Les  Trois  Arbres. 

It  would  have  been  difilcult  to  have  found  a  wilder  scene 
than  that  which  spread  itself  to  the  south  and  west  from  this 
lonely  group  of  trees. 

**  Beyond  the  farthest  verge  of  sight,"  said  the  Sioux,  as 

•  M 


1 62  Red  Cloud. 


he  pointed  out  the  general  direction  he  proposed  to  follow 
on  the  morrow,  "  lies  the  lake  which  the  Indians  have 
named  the  Lake  of  the  Wind.  From  yonder  group  of  trees 
to  the  shore  of  that  lake,  four  long  days'  journey,  there  does 
not  grow  one  tree  or  bush  upon  the  prairie.  We  must  halt 
here  to-morrow,  to  bake  bread  and  cut  wood,  to  carry  on 
the  sleds,  sufficient  to  last  us  across  this  bare  expanse.  Once 
at  the  lake  we  shall  find  wood  in  plenty,  and  I  think  the 
buffalo  will  not  be  far  distant." 

The  sight  upon  which  we  now  gazed  was  in  truth  almost 
sublime  in  its  vast  desolation.  The  sun,  just  descended 
beneath  the  rim  of  the  western  prairie,  cast  up  into  the  sky 
one  great  shaft  of  light. 

The  intense  rarity  of  the  atmosphere  made  the  landscape 
visible  to  its  most  remote  depths.  A  few  aspen  clumps,  and 
the  three  trees  already  mentioned,  grew  near  the  standpoint 
from  which  we  looked ;  but  in  front  no  speck  of  tree  met 
the  eye,  and  the  unbroken  west  lay  waiting  for  the  night  in 
all  the  length  and  breadth  of  its  lonely  distance. 

Never  before  had  I  beheld  so  vast  an  extent  of  treeless 
ground.  The  other  prairies  over  which  we  had  journeyed 
were  dwarfed  in  my  mind  by  the  one  now  before  me.  I 
seemed  to  be  standing  upon  the  shore  of  a  rigid  sea — an 
ocean,  whose  motionless  waves  of  short  brown  grass  ap- 
peared to  lie  in  a  vast  torpor  up  to,  and  beyond,  the  sunset 
itself;  and  this  sense  of  enormous  space  was  heightened  by 


Home  thoughts.  1 63 


the  low  but  profound  murmur  of  the  wind,  as  it  swept 
by  our  standpoint,  from  vast  distance,  into  distance  still 
as  vast. 

The  whole  of  the  following  day  was  spent  in  preparations 
for  crossing  this  great  waste.  A  quantity  of  dry  poplar  sticks 
were  cut  into  lengths  suitable  for  packing  upon  the  sleds. 

The  fire  in  the  leather  tent  was  kept  briskly  going,  and  a 
good  supply  of  gelettes  was  baked  before  it. 

"  We  will  need  all  the  wood  we  can  carry  with  us,"  said 
the  Sioux,  "  for  the  work  of  boiUng  the  morning  and  even- 
ing kettle." 

When  the  sunset  hour  had  again  come,  I  was  out  again 
upon  the  hill  top  to  watch  the  sun  set  over  the  immeasurable 
waste.  My  wanderings  had  taught  me  that  it  was  at  this 
hour  of  sunset  that  the  wilderness  put  on  its  grandest  aspect; 
and  often  was  it  my  wont  to  watch  its  varying  shades,  as, 
slowly  sinking  into  twilight,  the  vagueness  of  night  stole 
over  the  prairie. 

It  was  at  these  times  of  sunset,  too,  that  I  seemed  to  see 
again  all  the  well-remembered  scenes  of  my  early  days  in 
the  old  glen.  Out  of  the  vast  silent  wilderness  came  the 
brown  hill  of  Seefin,  and  the  gorse-covered  sides  of  Knock- 
more.  I  could  fancy  that  my  ear  caught  the  murmur  of  the 
west  wind  through  the  heather.  How  far  off  it  all  seemed 
— dreamlike  in  its  vividness  and  its  vast  distance  ! 

Very  early  next  morning  the  rent  was  struck,  tl  le  horses 
-M  2 


[64  Red  Cloud, 


were  driven  in,  loads  packed,  and  all  made  ready  for  the 
launch  of  the  little  expedition  upon  the  great  prairie  sea. 

T'  0  Sioux  led  the  advance.  Long  ere  mid-day  the  last 
glimpse  of  the  Trois  Arbres  had  vanished  beneath  the  plain. 
In  the  afternoon  a  snow-storm  swept  across  the  waste, 
wrapping  earth  and  heaven  in  its  blinding  drift.  Still  the 
Indian  held  his  way  at  the  same  steady  pace. 

"  It  is  well,"  he  said  to  me  as  I  rode  close  behind  him. 
"  If  there  are  any  roving  bands  on  the  borders  of  this  great 
prairie,  they  will  not  see  us  in  this  storm." 

Before  sunset  the  storm  ceased,  the  clouds  rolled  away 
to  the  south,  and  the  boundless  plain  lay  around  us  on  all 
sides,  one  dazzling  expanse  of  snow. 

Camp  was  pitched  at  sunset  in  the  bottom  of  a  deep 
coulee.  A  night  of  intense  cold  followed  the  storm ;  but 
within  the  leather  lodge  the  fire  soon  gave  light  and  warmth  ; 
and  as  soon  as  supper  was  over  we  lay  down  on  each  side 
of  the  embers,  wrapped  in  our  robes. 

Thus  we  journeyed  on  for  some  days,  until,  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  fourth  from  quitting  Les  Trois  Arbres,  we  drew 
near  the  Lake  of  the  Wind. 

The  weather  had  again  become  fine,  and,  for  the  season, 
mild.  The  snow  had  partly  vanished,  and  the  sun  shone 
with  a  gentle  lustre,  that  made  bright  and  golden  the  yellow 
grasses  of  the  great  waste. 

For  several  hours  before  the  lake  was  reached,  the  trees 


Indian  instincts.  165 


that  grew  near  its  shores  had  become  visible.  I  had  noticed 
that  these  clumps  had  risen  out  of  the  blank  horizon  straight 
in  front  of  us,  showing  how  accurate  had  been  the  steering 
of  the  Sioux  across  a  waste  that  had  presented  to  the  eye  of 
the  ordinary  beholder  apparently  not  one  landmark  for 
guidance. 

I  asked  the  Indian  by  what  marks  he  had  directed  his 
course. 

"  I  could  not  tell  you,"  replied  the  Sioux.  "  It  is  an 
instinct  born  in  us ;  it  comes  as  easy  to  us  as  it  does  to 
the  birds,  or  to  the  buffalo.  Look  up,"  he  went  on  ;  "see 
that  long  line  of  '  wavies  '  sailing  to  the  south.  Night  and 
day  they  keep  that  line ;  a  week  ago  they  were  at  the  North 
Sea ;  in  a  few  days  they  will  be  where  winter  never  comes. 
Before  man  gave  up  this  free  life  of  the  open  air,  while  yet 
the  forest  and  the  plain  were  his  homes,  he  knew  all  these 
things  better  even  than  did  the  birds  or  the  beasts ;  he  knew 
when  the  storm  was  coming  ;  the  day  and  the  night  were 
alike  to  him  when  he  travelled  his  path  through  the  forest ; 
his  course  across  the  lake  was  clear  to  him  :  but  when  he 
grew  to  be  what  you  call  civlized,  then  he  lost  the  know- 
ledge of  the  sky,  and  of  the  earth ;  he  became  helpless.  It 
is  so  with  the  red  men  ;  year  by  year,  we  lose  something 
of  the  craft  and  knowledge  of  wood,  plain,  and  river.  One 
hundred  years  ago,  our  young  men  hunted  the  buffalo  and 
the  wapiti  with  the  weapons  they  had  themselves  made ;  now 


1 66  Red  Cloud. 


it  is  the  gun  or  the  rifle  of  the  white  man  that  is  used  >y 
them.  Without  these  things,  which  they  buy  from  the 
traders,  they  would  die,  because  they  have  mostly  forgotten 
the  old  methods  of  the  chase.  Before  the  horse  came  to  us 
from  the  Spaniard,  we  hunted  the  buffalo  on  foot,  and  our 
young  men  could  chase  the  herds  from  sunrise  until  dusk  of 
evening ;  before  the  gun  came  to  us  from  the  French  we 
killed  even  the  grizzly  bears  with  our  arrows,  and  straight 
and  true  they  flew  from  the  bow  drawn  on  horseback  or  on 
foot." 

As  thus  the  Sioux  showed  how  deeply  he  had  studied  the 
past  history  of  his  race,  the  scattered  woods  that  fringed  the 
lake  took  better  defined  form,  and  soon  the  sheen  of  water 
became  visible  through  openings  in  the  belts  of  forest. 

As  we  drew  still  nearer,  the  whole  outline  of  the  lake  was 
to  be  seen.  It  lay  between  deeply  indented  shores  at  its 
northern,  or  nearer  end,  but  farther  off  to  the  south  it 
stretched  out  into  a  broader  expanse  of  water.  The  evening 
was  perfectly  calm,  the  branches  of  the  trees  did  not  move, 
but  the  water,  still  unfrozen  in  the  centre  of  the  lake,  was 
agitated  with  many  waves,  and  a  restless  surge  broke  upon 
the  edges  of  ice  with  a  noise  which  was  plainly  audible  on 
the  shore.  It  was  a  singular  scene,  this  restless  lake  lying 
amid  this  vast  rigid  waste.  The  Sioux  bent  his  way  into  one 
of  the  long  promontories,  and  soon  a  spot  was  selected  amid 
a  thick  screen  of  aspens  and  maple,  where  the  tent  was 


The  Lake  of  the  Winds.  167 

pitched  in  shelter,  and  all  made  comfortable  against  the  now 
approaching  night. 

Next  day  broke  fresh  and  fair ;  the  air  was  keen  and  cold, 
but  the  dry  fuel,  now  obtainable  in  plenty,  had  kept  the  lodge 
warm ;  and  soon  after  sunrise  the  sun  came  out,  glistening 
upon  the  white  branches  of  the  leafless  trees,  and  the  hoar- 
frosted  grass,  and  shallow  snow  of  the  plain,  and  making  all 
things  look  bright  and  cheerful.  We  were  soon  in  the  saddle. 
The  Sioux  led  the  advance,  and  swinging  round  by  the 
southern  end  of  the  lake  we  gained  some  high  and  broken 
ground.  The  Sioux  had  ridden  on  some  distance  in 
advance,  and  I  was  about  to  quicken  my  pace  in  order  to 
overtake  him,  when  suddenly  I  caught  sight  of  a  dark  object 
appearing  above  a  depression  in  a  ridge  some  way  to  my 
right;  the  ridge  itself  concealed  lower  ground  beyond  it, 
and  the  object,  which  for  a  second  had  caught  my  eye  was 
the  back  of  some  animal  that  was  standing  partially  hidden 
within  this  lower  space. 

I  was  glad  to  have  thus  caught  first  sight  of  game,  be- 
fore even  the  quick  eye  of  the  Sioux  had  lighted  upon  it. 
Keeping  low  upon  my  horse,  I  galloped  forward,  and  told  my 
companion  what  I  had  seen.  He  immediately  reconnoitred 
the  hollow,  and  came  back  to  say  that  it  held  three  animals, 
two  buffalo  cows  and  one  calf!  As  I  had  first  discovered 
the  game,  I  was  to  have  first  shot.  We  both  dismounted, 
and  crept  cautiously  up  to  the  edge  of  the  ridge  and  looked 


1 68  Red  Cloud. 


over.  From  this  edge  to  where  the  animals  stood  was 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  I  laid  my  rifle  over  the 
ridge  top,  took  a  steady  aim,  and  fired  at  the  cow  that 
stood  nearest  to  me  Then  we  both  sprang  to  our  feet,  and 
ran  with  all  speed  down  the  hill  towards  the  animals.  The 
cow  I  had  fired  at  moved  off  with  difficulty,  the  others 
bounded  away  up  the  opposite  ridge.  It  was  now  the 
Sioux'  turn.  Stopping  short  in  his  long  stride  he  fired 
quickly,  and  ran  on  again.  The  buffalo  at  which  he  fired 
had  gained  the  summit  of  the  distant  ridge,  and  was  for  a 
moment  clearly  shown  on  the  white  hill-top  and  against  the 
blue  sky  beyond  it.  I  was  so  intent  upon  watching  my  own 
animal  that  I  had  no  time  to  take  note  of  whether  his  shot 
had  struck;  but,  reloading  as  I  ran,  I  soon  reached  the 
bottom  of  the  little  valley.  My  buffalo  was  still  moving  quietly 
up  the  incline,  evidently  sorely  wounded.  Another  shot 
from  my  rifle  ere  the  beast  had  reached  the  top  of  the 
ridge  brought  her  to  the  ground,  no  more  to  rise.  We 
breasted  quickly  up  the  incline  until  the  top  was  gained, 
and  there,  just  beyond  the  summit,  lay  the  Sioux'  buffalo, 
quite  dead  in  the  snow.  What  a  scene  it  was  as  we  stood  on 
this  prairie  ridge  !  Away  on  all  sides  spread  the  white  and 
yellow  prairie,  the  longer  grasses  still  showing  golden  in  the 
sunlight  above  the  sparkling  layer  of  snow ;  there  was  not 
a  cloud  in  the  vast  blue  vault  that  hung  over  this  glistening 
immensity ;  the  Lake  of  the  Wind  lay  below  us,  its  line  of 


\Ve  N,>th  sprang  to  v>ur  fc*t,  and  ran  with  all  jii>ecd  towanJs  the  aninvals. 


I 


Buffalo.  169 

shore-wood  showing  partially  dark  against  its  snow,  and  its 
centre  of  open  water  lying  blue  as  the  sky  above  it,  set  in 
a  frame  of  snow-crusted  ice.  Close  at  hand,  on  either  side 
of  the  ridge  where  we  stood,  lay  the  dark  bodies  of  our 
buflfalo,  stretched  upon  the  shallow  snow. 

Both  animals  proved  to  be  in  very  good  condition.  "  You 
will  taste  to-night,"  said  the  Sioux  to  me,  "  the  best  bit  of 
meat  to  be  got  in  the  prairie — the  flesh  of  a  fat  cow  buffalo  ; 
the  finest  beef  is  but  poor  food  compared  to  it." 

We  were  still  so  near  our  camp  that  we  determined  to  get 
the  sleds  out  and  drag  it  in,  before  night  would  ^ive  the 
wolves  a  chance  of  plundering  our  winter  store  of  meat. 
The  Sioux  began  to  skin  and  cut  up  the  buffalo,  and  I  went 
back  to  where  we  had  left  the  horses,  and  then  rode  to  the 
camp  to  bring  Donogh,  the  scout,  and  the  sled  to  the  scene. 
It  was  astonishing  to  see  the  rapid  manner  with  which  the 
two  Indians  cut  up  these  large  animals.  Early  in  the  after- 
noon we  were  all  back  in  the  camp,  with  three  sled-loads  of 
primest  meat ;  we  brought  skins,  marrow-bones,  tongues, 
and  tit-bits;  and  the  remainder  of  the  daylight  was  spent  in 
arranging  the  supplies  safe  from  the  ravage  of  prowling  wolves 
and  in  preparing  for  a  good  feast  after  the  labours  of  the 
day. 

Pleasant  it  was  that  night,  when  the  darkness  had  fallen 
over  the  silent  wilderness,  to  look  at  the  cosy  scene  presented 
by  our  camp.     We  had  swept  clear  of  brushwood  and  snow 


170  Red  Cloud. 


a  large  space  on  one  side  of  our  leather  lodge.  Maple-trees 
grew  thickly  around  it ;  in  the  centre  burned  clear  and  bright 
a  fire  of  dry  logs.  Steaks  were  roasting  before  glowing 
embers,  the  kettle  was  steaming  from  a  cross-stick,  marrow- 
bones were  toasting,  gelettes  were  baking  in  a  pan  set 
facing  the  fire  and  backed  up  with  hot  embers,  while,  seated 
on  buffalo  robes,  around  the  fire  we  sat,  canopied  by  the 
starlight,  circled  by  the  vast  and  lonely  wilderness. 

The  next  morning  found  us  again  in  the  saddle,  but  this 
time  Donogh  came  to  share  our  sport.  Our  course  now  lay 
in  a  westerly  direction  from  the  lake.  It  was  in  that  line 
that  the  yearling  calf  had  retreated  on  the  previous  day,  and 
there  it  was  likely  we  should  fall  in  with  buffalo.  It  was  mid-day 
however  before  the  sight  of  buffalo  gladdened  our  eyes.  Far 
away  to  the  south  dim  dark  specks  were  visible.  Ascending 
a  ridge  in  the  direction  of  the  animals,  we  had  a  better  view 
of  the  plains.  A  large  herd  was  distinctly  visible,  moving 
slowly  towards  the  north-west.  We  watched  them  for  seme 
minutes.  "  We  must  cross  them  on  their  line  of  march," 
said  the  Sioux  to  me ;  then  we  rode  briskly  off  towards  the 
south-west  keeping  our  horses  along  the  hollows  of  the 
prairie.  It  was  his  intention  to  take  up  a  position  in  advance 
of  the  herd,  and  then  await  its  coming.  He  preferred  this  mode 
of  attack  in  the  present  instance  to  running  the  buffalo  upon 
horseback:  the  light  covering  of  snow  was  suflficient  to  render 
the  prairie  dangerous,  since  it  had  partially  hidden  the  badger 


A  lojig  stalk.  lyl 


holes,  and  the  surface  was  hard  with  frost.  "  Our  horses 
have  to  carry  us  home  to  the  Red  Deer  river,"  he  said  as 
we  cantered  along ;  we  must  be  careful  how  we  use  them. 
We  soon  reached  the  edge  of  what  seemed  to  be  a  channel 
of  a  stream  through  the  prairie ;  but  there  was  no  water  in 
the  wide  grassy  hollow  that  ran  in  sweeping  curves  over  the 
plains,  nor  could  a  stream  of  water  ever  have  flowed  in  it, 
because  it  followed  the  general  undulations  of  the  land  around, 
although  the  floor  or  bottom  of  it  was  always  lower  than  the 
land  that  bordered  it  on  either  side.  We  now  saw  that  the 
line  of  the  buffalo's  advance  was  up  this  grassy  hollow,  and 
as  the  wind  was  favourable  we  would  only  have  to  conceal 
ourselves  in  the  floor  of  this  depression  and  to  await  the 
approach  of  the  herd.  Leaving  the  horses  in  a  deep  hollow, 
we  gained  a  spot  in  the  grassy  channel  where  we  could  lie 
concealed  behind  tufts  Oi  grass  and  snow  ;  here  we  lay  down 
to  await  the  buffalo.  It  was  not  very  long  before  the  leading 
ones  came  in  sight  of  our  hiding-place,  round  a  curve  in  the 
depression  about  four  hundred  yards  distant. 

Then  in  scattered  files  more  came  into  view,  walking 
slowly  and  deliberately  forward  in  that  complete  unconstraint 
with  which  the  wild  animals  of  the  earth  take  their  leisure 
when  they  fancy  their  great  enemy,  man,  is  far  away  from 
them. 

A  very  old  bull  led  the  advance,  moving  some  distance 
in  front  of  any  other  beast 


1/2  Red  Cloud. 


The  snow  of  many  a  winter's  storm,  the  gleam  of  many  a 
summer's  sun,  had  matted  and  tangled  his  shaggy  mane  and 
sweeping  frontlet. 

As  he  approached  nearer  to  us  we  could  see  his  eyes  gleam- 
ing brightly  from  beneath  the  thick  masses  of  hair  that  hung 
from  his  forehead ;  but  there  was  no  trace  of  that  anger  or 
fright  such  as  the  hunter  sees  when  in  pursuit  of  a  flying 
herd.  The  look  now  was  calm  and  tranquil ;  the  great  beast 
was  at  home  in  this  solitary  waste,  as  his  race  through  count- 
less generations  had  been  at  home  here ;  for  in  these  wilds, 
so  green  in  summer,  so  white  in  winter,  he  and  his  had 
roamed  since  time  began. 

"  Do  not  fire  at  him,"  said  the  Sioux  in  a  low  tone  to 
me.     "  He  would  be  useless  to  us." 

The  old  veteran  had  now  come  to  a  halt,  about  thirty 
paces  in  front  of  where  we  lay.  He  was  so  close  to  us 
that  we  could  mark  with  ease  ever}'  movement  of  his  shaggy 
head,  every  expression  of  his  eye.  Some  vague  idea  that 
there  was  danger  in  front  seemed  to  have  come  upon  him,  for 
once  or  twice  he  turned  his  head  round,  as  if  to  see  whether 
his  comrades  were  close  at  hand. 

As  they  came  closing  up  to  him  from  behind,  the  same 
vague  feeling  of  fear  or  suspicion  seemed  to  have  communi- 
cated itself  to  them,  for  they  also  paused  irresolute  on  their 
way.  That  the  suspicion  was  not  directed  towards  any  par- 
ticular point,  was  evident  from  the  looks  which  the  huge 


The  monarch  of  the  xvaste.  173 

animals  continued  to  turn  to  either  side.  As  thus  they  stood, 
gradually  closing  up  from  behind  upon  the  leader,  a  storm 
that  for  some  time  had  been  threatening,  broke  over  the 
prairie,  whirling  snow  in  dense  drifts  before  it,  and  wrapping 
the  scene  in  chaotic  desolation. 

Truly,  a  weird  wild  picture  was  that  before  us — the 
great  Avaste  narrowed  for  the  moment  by  the  curtain  clouds 
of  wintry  tempest,  the  dark  animals  vaguely  seen  through 
the  wrack  of  drift,  and  the  huge  form  of  the  monarch  of 
the  prairie  standing  out  against  the  background  of  gloom. 
It  is  many  a  long  day  now  since  I  looked  upon  that  scene, 
but  I  see  it  still  before  me,  through  time  and  distance. 

The  old  buffalo,  as  though  reassured  by  the  proximity  of 
his  friends,  now  began  to  move  forward  again. 

The  Sioux  whispered  to  me  to  aim  at  a  young  bull  that 
had  come  up  towards  the  front.  He  was  some  little  way 
behind  the  old  leader,  but  his  side  was  partly  visible  to  me. 
I  aimed  low  behind  his  shoulder,  and  fired.  In  a  second, 
the  scene  had  changed ;  all  was  wild  confusion  among  the 
herd.  Where  all  had  been  torpor,  all  became  movement ; 
to  sense  of  security  followed  intense  fright ;  and  away  in 
wild  stampede,  through  drift  and  storm,  fled  the  suddenly 
startled  animals.  The  young  bull  had,  however,  received  his 
death-wound ;  he  soon  dropped  from  the  ranks  of  the 
flying  herd,  and  lay  down  to  die. 

It  was  now  so  late  in  the  day  that  we  could  not  hope  to 


174  Red  Cloud. 


get  the  beast  home  to  our  camp  before  the  morrow.  But 
to  leave  the  dead  animal  as  he  was,  on  the  prairies,  exposed 
for  the  night  to  the  ravage  of  wolves  and  foxes,  would  have 
been  to  find  little  remaining  save  his  bones  next  day.  The 
Sioux  stuck  his  ramrod  into  the  ribs  of  the  buffalo,  and 
fastened  his  powder-flask  to  the  rod,  letting  it  swing  in  the 
wind.  This  precaution  made  the  carcase  safe  from  attack, 
at  least  for  one  night ;  for  keener  than  the  scent  of  food  with 
the  wolf  is  his  scent  for  powder,  and  he  will  long  continue 
to  circle  around  meat  thus  protected,  ere  his  greed  will  bring 
him  close  to  it  for  plunder. 

As  we  rode  home  to  the  camp,  the  snowstorm  that  had 
swept  the  plains  abated ;  but  a  bitterly  cold  wind  was  blow- 
ing across  the  prairie,  and  a  lurid  sunset  foreshadowed  a 
continuance  of  wild  weather. 

The  stock  of  dry  wood  for  fuel  was,  however,  large  ;  and 
sheltered  amid  the  thickets,  our  camp-fire  blazed  brightly, 
while  again  we  brought  back  from  our  long  day's  work 
those  keen  appetites  to  relish  the  good  things  of  steak  and 
bone  and  tit-bit  that  only  the  prairie  hunter  can  ever  know. 
Pleasant  used  it  to  be  on  such  nights  to  sit  before  the  camp 
fire  and  watch  the  wind,  as,  blowing  in  gusts,  it  whirled  the 
yellow  flames  through  the  dry  logs,  while  the  peeled  willows 
baked  by  the  embers. 

On  this  evening  the  scout  brought  out  a  plentiful  supply 


The  red  marjs  tobacco.  175 

of  willow  rods,  which  he  had  cut  during  our  absence  along 
a  part  of  the  lake  shore  to  which  he  had  wandered.  The 
outer  bark  of  these  willows  was  a  bright  red  colour.  This 
outer  bark  the  scout  had  peeled  off,  leaving  beneath  it  a 
soft  inner  skin.  Having  carefully  peeled  down  this  inner 
skin,  so  as  to  make  it  form  ringlets  or  curls  of  bark  at  the 
knots  on  tlie  willow  rods,  the  ends  of  the  rods  were  now 
stuck  in  the  ground  close  by  the  fire.  The  heat  soon 
caused  the  strips  of  bark  to  become  crisp,  and  fit  for 
smoking.  It  is  in  this  manner  that  the  Indians  make  their 
"  Kinni-kinnick  "  tobacco. 

Wherever  the  red  willow  grows,  by  margin  of  lake  or 
shore  of  river,  along  the  edge  of  swamp  or  thicket,  there  the 
tobacco  pouch  of  the  red  man  is  easily  replenished;  and 
mixed  with  real  tobacco,  this  inner  bark  of  the  willow  forms 
the  universal  smoking-mixture  of  the  tribes  that  roam  the 
northern  wastes. 

In  the  "  thick  wood "  country,  lying  between  lakes 
Superior  and  Winnipeg,  the  red  willow  is  scarce,  but  a  weed 
not  unlike  dwarf  box  is  found.  Dried  before  a  fire,  its 
leaves  form  kinni-kinnick,  like  the  willow  bark.  True  to 
his  habit,  of  taking  a  last  look  at  the  horses  before  lying 
down  for  the  night,  the  Sioux  arose  from  his  robe  at  the 
fire  and  Avent  out  into  the  open.  The  horses  liad  sought  the 
shelter  of  the  thicket ;   the  wind  was  beginning  to  rise ; 


176  Red  Cloud. 


no  stars  were  visible,  the  branches  of  the  dwarf  trees  sent 
forth  a  mournful  sigh  as  the  night-winds  passed  through 
them. 

"  To-morrow,"  he  said,  when  he  came  back  to  the  tent, 
"  winter  will  be  on  all  the  land." 

It  did  not  matter.  We  wrapped  ourselves  in  our  robes 
and  lay  down  to  sleep,  heedless  alike  of  rising  storm  and 
falling  snowflake. 


iTj 


CHAPTER   X. 

Winter — wolves — A  night's  trapping— A  retreat — In  the  teeth 
of  the  north  wind— The  carcajou — A  miss  and  a  hit — News 
of  Indians— Danger  ahead — A  friendly  storm>— The  hut 
again. 

The  next  morning,  plain  and  thicket,  hill  and  lake,  lay 
wrapt  in  a  white  mantle.  The  storm  had  sunk  to  calm,  the 
snow  had  ceased,  but  winter  was  on  all  the  land,  no  more 
to  leave  it  until  the  winds  and  showers  of  spring  should 
come  from  the  south  to  chase  him  back  into  his  northern 
home.  It  was  piercingly  cold  when  we  issued  from  the  tent 
to  begin  the  day's  work.  The  cold  was  different  from  any- 
thing I  had  yet  experienced.  The  slightest  touch  of  metal 
sufficed  instantly  to  freeze  the  fingers.  A  gun-barrel,  the 
buckle  of  a  girth,  the  iron  of  a  bit,  struck  so  deadly  cold 
upon  the  hands,  that  I  found  it  was  only  by  running  to  the 
embers  of  the  fire,  and  holding  my  fingers  for  a  moment  in 
the  blaze  that  I  could  restore  them  to  working  power. 

Red  Cloud  and  the  Assineboine  appeared,  however,  to 
take  slight  notice  of  this  great  cold.  The  work  was  done 
as   usual,    quickly  and    neatly;    packs   and  saddles    were 

N 


178  Red  Cloud. 


arranged,  the  two  spare  horses  were  got  ready  to  bring  back 
the  buffalo  killed  on  the  previous  evening,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  our  little  party  trooped  out  from  the  sheltering 
thicket  into  the  great  prairie. 

All  was  now  a  dazzling  sheet  of  most  intense  white.  The 
clouds  had  cleared  away,  and  the  sun  shone  out,  making  the 
vast  surface  glisten  as  though  millions  of  diamonds  had  been 
scattered  over  it.  The  snow  was  not  yet  deep  upon  the 
prairie  ;  the  wind  of  the  preceding  night  had  driven  it  into 
the  hollows,  or  flattened  it  down  amid  the  grass,  so  that  the 
horses  were  able  to  make  their  way  along. 

About  two  hours'  ride  brought  us  in  sight  of  the  dead 
buffalo.  It  was  visible  a  long  way  off,  showing  very  dark 
upon  the  white  surface  of  the  plain.  The  scene  around  it 
was  a  curious  one.  Fully  a  score  of  wolves  were  circling 
and  dodging  around  the  carcase,  some  looking  anxiously  at 
the  longed-for  meat,  others  sitting  farther  away,  as  though 
they  had  determined  to  await  the  discoveries  of  their  more 
venturesome  comrades  ere  they  would  approach  the  dead 
animal. 

Red  Cloud  looked  at  them  for  some  time. 

"  There  are  a  good  many  warm  skins,"  he  said,  "  in  that 
lot,  and  they  are  easily  carried  compared  with  the  skin  of 
those  buffalo  cows  we  shot  yesterday.  If  we  had  a  few  of 
those  wolf  robes,  we  could  make  our  winter  beds  warm 
enough  in  the  hut  at  the  Forks." 


Wolves.  179 


He  thought  a  moment,  and  then  continued, — 

"  There  are  so  many  wolves  here  that  it  would  be  worth 
while  to  camp  near  this  to-night  and  trap  some  of  them. 
We  will  take  two  loads  of  meat  back  to  the  camp  at  the  lake, 
then  return  here,  bringing  with  us  the  tent,  and  wood  suffi- 
cient for  the  night.  We  will  fetch  hither  all  the  traps  we  have 
with  us,  and  then  see  if  we  cannot  catch  some  of  these 
white  and  grey  wolves." 

We  had  now  reached  the  buffalo,  and  the  work  of  skinning 
and  cutting  up  went  on  apace.  Soon  light  loads  for  the 
horses  were  ready,  and  I  and  the  scout  set  out  for  the  lake, 
leaving  the  Sioux  to  keep  watch  over  the  carcase. 

When  we  had  departed,  the  Sioux  set  to  work  to  outwit 
the  cunning  wolves,  who  still  lurked  around,  hiding  behind 
the  hillock,  and  looking  every  now  and  again  over  the  sky- 
line of  a  hill  to  watch  their  much-coveted  food. 

Noticing  that  a  small  ravine  ran  curving  through  the 
prairie  within  easy  rifle-shot  of  the  dead  buffalo,  he  followed 
our  tracks  for  some  distance,  until  reaching  a  depression  in 
the  ground,  he  turned  aside  into  it;  then  bending  down  so 
as  to  be  completely  hidden  from  the  wolves,  he  gained  the 
ravine  at  a  considerable  distance  from  where  the  buffalo  lay. 
Following  the  many  windings  of  this  couiee,  he  reached  at 
last  the  neighbourhood  of  the  animal.  He  did  not  need 
to  look  up  above  the  ledge  of  the  ravine,  because  ere  he 
set  out  upon  his  stalk  he  had  marked  a  tuft  of  tall  dry  grass 
N  2  * 


i8o  Red  Cloud. 


which  grew  at  the  curve  which  was  nearest  the  buffalo,  and 
now  keeping  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  he  saw  this  tuft  appear 
in  view  as  he  rounded  a  bend  in  the  hollow.  Looking 
cautiously  up  from  the  base  of  the  dry  tuft,  he  saw,  about 
a  hundred  yards  distant,  several  wolves  busily  engaged  at 
tearing  at  the  hide  and  legs  yet  remaining  of  the  buffalo. 
Singling  out  the  largest  wolf,  he  took  a  quick  but  steady 
aim,  and  as  the  report  rang  out,  he  saw  the  wolf  spring 
into  the  air  and  fall  dead  beside  the  buffalo  carcase.  A 
second  shot,  fired  as  the  other  wolves  galloped  rapidly 
away,  was  not  so  successful.  The  bullet  cut  the  snow 
beneath  their  feet,  and  in  another  few  seconds  they  were 
out  of  range. 

When  we  again  appeared  upon  the  scene,  bringing  the 
tent  and  traps,  we  found  a  magnificent  wolfs  skin  added 
to  our  stock  of  winter  goods. 

Pitching  the  leather  lodge  in  the  shelter  of  the  ravine,  all 
was  made  comfortable  against  the  night.  The  spare  horses 
had  been  left  at  the  old  camping-place,  and  only  those 
ridden  by  the  hunters  had  been  brought  to  this  exposed 
place. 

Just  before  nightfall  the  Sioux  set  his  traps  in  a  circle 
round  the  spot  where  the  buffalo  lay.  I  watched  with  interest 
the  precautions  by  which  he  hoped  to  baffle  the  cunning  of 
the  wolves.  To  the  chain  of  each  trap  a  heavy  stick  was 
attached.     This  weight  would  prevent  the  wolf  dragging  the 


A  niglifs  trapping.  l8l 

trap  any  considerable  distance  ;  but  both  the  trap  and  the  . 
stick  had  to  be  concealed  in  the  snow,  and  care  taken  to 
prevent   the   fine  powdery  snow  drifting  in  underneath  the 
plate,  so  as  to  allow  the  pressure  of  an  animal's  foot  to 
spring  the  trap. 

The  circle  of  traps  was  soon  complete,  and  just  at  dusk 
we  were  all  ensconced  within  our  lodge,  busily  preparing 
the  evening  meal. 

"  About  an  hour  after  dark  the  wolves  will  grow  bold," 
said  the  Sioux.  "  They  are  circling  round  now,  but  they 
are  too  cautious  to  go  near  just  at  first.  We  will  go  round 
the  traps  when  supper  is  done,  and  again  before  we  turn  in 
for  the  night." 

When  supper  was  finished,  we  crept  out  of  the  lodge 
and  went  to  visit  the  traps.  The  night  was  intensely  cold ; 
the  stars  were  shining  with  wonderful  brilliancy  over  the 
vast  white  prairie.  The  first  trap  we  approached  held  nothing, 
— and  so  on  until  we  reached  the  fourth.  Here  we  saw  a  dark 
object  struggling  hard  in  the  snow.  As  we  drew  nearer  to  it  I 
was  able  to  distinguish  an  animal  closely  resembling  a  huge 
grey  dog.  The  Sioux  had  brought  with  him  a  stout  pole 
four  feet  in  length,  Coming  close  to  the  wolf  he  struck  him 
a  violent  blow  with  this  pole,  killing  him  instantly.  Then 
he  re-set  the  trap,  and  dragging  the  dead  wolf  along,  we  pro- 
ceeded to  finish  our  round.  All  the  other  traps  were  empty. 
But  two  hours  later,  when  another  visit  was  made,  a  coyote 


:82  Red  Cloud. 


and  a  kit  fox  were  found,  so  that  the  stock  of  winter  skins 
began  to  increase  rapidly. 

Another  wolf  was  captured  during  the  night ;  but  when 
morning  came  we  found  that  he  had  succeeded  in  dragging 
the  trap,  and  the  stick  to  which  it  was  attached,  a  long  way 
over  the  prairie.     It  was  the  trap  which  had  been  set  by  me. 

"  Curious,"  said  I.  *'  The  wolf  caught  last  night  was  just 
able  to  move  the  trap,  and  now  this  one  carries  trap  and 
stick  far  over  the  prairie.  He  must  be  a  stronger  wolf  than 
the  first  one." 

*'  No,"  replied  the  Sioux.  "  But  do  you  see  the  track  that 
the  stick  has  made  in  the  snow  ?  Does  it  not  run  straight, 
end  on,  after  the  wolf?  " 

I  noticed  that  it  did  so. 

"  Well,"  said  Red  Cloud,  "  that  is  because  you  did  not 
select  the  exact  centre  of  the  stick  in  which  to  place  the 
chain.  The  consequence  is  that  one  end  of  the  stick  is 
heavier  than  the  other.  This  heavy  end  trails  after  the 
chain,  so  that  the  wolf  has  less  difficulty  in  dragging  it  along. 
It  glides  over  the  snow  easily,  whereas  when  both  ends  of 
the  stick  are  evenly  balanced,  it  lies  across  the  animal's 
line  of  flight.  That  is  the  reason  why  this  wolf  has  got  away 
so  far.     But  we  will  reach  him  yet." 

Following  rapidly  along,  we  overtook  the  trapped  animal 
in  the  bottom  of  a  coulee,  in  the  soft  snow  of  which  he  could 
not  make  much  way.     He  was   quickly  despatched,  and 


A  retreat.  183 


dragged  back  to  the  tent,  his  skin  to  be  added  to  those 
already  taken. 

The  weather  was  now  so  intensely  cold  that  Red  Cloud 
began  to  fear  the  horses  would  be  unable  to  drag  the  load  of 
meat  back  to  the  Forks.  There  was  meat  fully  sufficient 
to  load  the  three  sleds  we  had  brought  to  their  utmost 
capacity.  Fortunately  the  spare  horses  had  had  an  easy 
time  of  it  up  to  the  present.  They  were  still  in  fair  condition  ; 
but  the  riding  horses  already  showed  signs  of  feeling  the 
terrible  severity  of  these  exposed  treeless  plains,  and  to  delay 
the  return  to  the  Forks  longer  than  was  absolutely  necessary, 
would  only  be  to  imperil  the  lives  of  the  most  valuable 
animals  possessed  by  us. 

Accordingly  the  lodge  was  struck,  and  the  retreat  to  the 
hut  at  the  Forks  began. 

During  four  days  our  line  of  sleds  and  men  toiled  slowly 
over  the  treeless  waste,  dark  specs  upon  a  waste  of  white. 
The  north  wind  blew  with  merciless  rigour.  Sometimes  the 
air  was  still,  and  the  sun  shone ;  but  at  other  times  terrible 
storms  swept  the  wild  landscape,  whirling  powdery  snow 
over  hills  and  ravines.  With  downbent  heads  men  and  horses 
plodded  on;  at  night  the  lodge  was  pitched  in  some  coulee 
for  better  shelter,  and  in  the  early  morning  so  black  and  cold 
and  desolate  looked  all  visible  nature,  that  I  used  to  long  to 
be  again  in  the  tent.  Still  I  struggled  hard  to  keep  a  bold 
front  bjfore  my  Indian  comrades;  they  did  not  complain, 


1  $4  R^d  Cloud. 


why  should  I  ?  One  good  thing  was,  we  had  plenty  of  buffalo 
meat,  and  we  could  be  fairly  warm  at  night  by  lying  close 
together  in  the  "lodge." 

At  last,  on  the  fifth  da_v,  the  wood  at  Les  Trois  Arbres  was 
reached,  and  piling  on  the  firewood,  that  night  the  tent 
was  made  warm  and  comfortable. 

The  poor  horses  were  now  very  weak.  On  the  treeless 
plains  the  grass  had  been  short  and  covered  in  many  places 
with  snow ;  but  in  the  thickets  wild  vetch  and  pea  grew, 
twining,  through  the  brushwood,  and  these  succulent  grasses, 
sweetened  by  the  frost,  were  eagerly  sought  for  by  the 
hungry  steeds.  It  was  decided  to  give  a  day's  rest  here,  for 
the  worst  portion  of  the  journey  was  now  over.  Accord- 
ingly the  lodge  was  pitched  in  a  sheltered  spot  amid  thickets, 
and  the  horses  turned  adrift  in  what  at  this  season  of  the 
year  was  good  pasturage. 

The  next  day  we  spent  in  a  long  hunt  on  foot  amid  the 
thickets  and  open  prairies.  The  "  poire  "  tree  grew  in  many 
places  amid  the  aspen  groves,  and  the  Indians  declared  that 
where  the  poire  flourished  there  the  bear  was  to  be  found — 
so  our  hunt  this  day  was  to  the  sleeping-place  of  the  bear. 
When  the  last  berry  has  disappeared,  and  the  first  snow  has 
come.  Bruin  begins  to  bethink  himself  of  seeking  a  place 
wherein  he  can  sleep  away  the  long  winter  months. 

Beneath  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  under  a  rock,  often- 
times on  the  level  ground  of  aspen  or  poplar  thicket,  he  digs 


Setting  out  on  a  long  hunt.  185 

his  hole.  "W'hen  it  is  deep  enough  to  hold  his  fat  body  he 
backs  into  it,  and  placing  his  nose  between  his  fore  paws  goes 
fast  asleep.  Sometimes  the  sleep  is  for  four  or  five  months 
duration ;  but  at  other  times,  when  the  sun  comes  out 
warm  and  bright  in  mid-winter,  he  will  crawl  forth  from  his 
burrow,  roam  a  little  way  around,  and  then  retire  again  into 
his  den.  It  is  no  easy  matter  to  find  his  nest.  Like  all  wild 
things  he  selects  his  place  of  rest  with  an  eye  to  security  ; 
but  hide  it  as  he  may,  the  Indian's  sharp  eye  pierces  through 
all  disguises,  and  in  the  time  before  the  snow  has  fallen 
deep  enough  to  cover  tree  stumps  and  hollow  in  one  undis- 
tinguishably  level  of  white,  the  couch  which  Bruin  has  made 
with  so  much  care  for  his  winter's  sleep  becomes  his  death- 
bed ere  his  first  doze  has  well  begun. 

Red  Cloud  and  I  took  one  direction,  the  scout  set  off  in 
another.  The  day  was  calm  and  fine ;  scarcely  a  breath  of 
wind  stirred  over  the  prairie,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  fell 
brightly  upon  the  snowy  surface,  through  which  the  yellow 
grass  still  showed  in  many  places.  Dressed  in  a  light 
leather  shirt,  and  Indian  leggings  and  moccasins  to  match,  I 
stepped  briskly  along,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Sioux. 
In  and  out  of  aspen  thickets,  over  open  patches  of  prairie 
land,  along  the  tops  of  small  ridges  quite  bare  of  snow,  the 
Indian  held  l^is  way  with  rapid  stride.  At  length  we 
emerged  upon  the  edge  of  a  deep  coulee.  In  the  bottom  of 
this  ravme  a  few  pools  of  frozen  water  were  visible.     The 


1 86  Red  Cloud. 


sides  of  the  ravine  were  steep,  but  in  the  bottom  the  ground 
was  level ;  some  stunted  bushes  grew  at  intervals  along  it.  As 
we  stood  on  the  sharp  edge  of  the  prairie  looking  down  this 
depression,  the  eye  of  the  Indian  suddenly  caught  sight  of 
a  moving  object  some  distance  away  to  his  right.     It  was 
an  animal  that  had  plunged  over  the  edge  and  quickly  dis- 
appeared in  the  valley.    Before  many  seconds  had  elapsed  a 
second  object  crossed  over  the  ridge  and  dived  into  the 
coulee.     The  Indian  exclaimed,  "  Lie  down,  it  is  a  carcajou; 
he  is  hunting  a  deer.    The  deer  will  follow  the  coulee,  and 
will  pass  right  beneath  where  we  stand  ;  we  should  get  them 
both."  We  lay  flat  upon  the  prairie  edge  with  rifles  ready. 
Presently  along  the  bottom  of  the  gorge  appeared  a  large 
jumping  moose.     He  was  evidently  sorely  pressed  by  his 
pursuer,  who,  only  about  fifty  yards  behind,  came  along  at 
that  slouching  gallop  peculiar  to  his  species.     Red  Cloud 
whispered  to  me,  "  Fire  as  the  deer  passes.     Aim  in  front, 
and  low,  for  it  is  down  hill.    I'll  take  the  carcajou."     My 
heart  beat  fast ;  the  distance  was  under  seventy  yards,  but 
the  pace  was  good.    A  shot  rang  out.    "  Missed,"  cried  the 
Sioux  as  the  deer  went  bounding  by.    Quick  as  tliought  I 
pulled  again,  this  time  aiming  well  in  front  and  very  low. 
The  deer  staggered — fell— rose  again  to  his  feet,  and  then 
plunged    over    upon    his    side,     dead.       Meantime      the 
wolverine  was  coming  along  at   a  tremendous  pace.     All 
at  once  a  shot  rang  out  in  front ;  then  another.     His  pace 


The  Carcajou,  187 


was  too  rapid  to  be  checked  in  an  instant;  but  the  reports  from 
the  ridge  to  his  left  caused  him  to  swerve  from  the  bottom 
of  the  coulee,  and  to  ascend  the  bank  nearly  opposite  the  spot 
where  we  lay.  As  he  went  up  the  steep  bank  he  presented 
a  beautiful  mark  to  the  Indian's  rifle.  For  an  instant  the 
weapon  followed  the  upward  course  of  the  animal,  then  it 
poured  forth  its  unerring  fire.  The  carcajou  staggered  in  his 
gallop,  and  slipped  back  a  short  way  down  the  steep  hill  side ; 
then  he  recovered  himself,  and  began  again  to  ascend.  But 
now  a  second  report  rang  out,  and,  shot  quite  dead,  the 
beast  rolled  down  tbe  shingly  side,  and  lay  still,  within  a  few 
yards  of  the  deer  he  had  followed  to  the  death. 

My  first  shot  had  not  allowed  sufficiently  for  the  depth  of 
the  coulee ;  the  bullet  had  just  gone  over  the  deer's  back,  but 
the  second  had  passed  clean  through  the  animal's  ribs. 

And  now  to  carry  the  game  home  to  camp.  It  was  no 
easy  matter ;  the  Sioux,  however,  proved  himself,  as  usual, 
fully  equal  to  the  difficulty. 

In  a  very  short  time  he  had  skinned  both  the  animals. 
The  flcsli  of  the  wolverine  was  useless,  but  the  skin  was  a 
very  fine  one. 

When  the  skin  of  the  deer  was  removed,  it  was  placed 
upon  the  snow,  with  the  side  that  had  been  next  the  body 
of  the  animal  turned  downwards  upon  the  ground.  Then 
the  venison  was  packed  upon  the  hairy  side,  and  the  ends 
of  tbe  skin  wrapped  over  it  to  prevent  the  pieces  falling  off; 


l88  Red  Cloud. 


then  to  the  two  fore-legs  of  the  skin  the  Sioux  fastened  the 
string  of  leather  called  "  shagganappi,"  which  he  always 
carried  with  him,  and  passing  the  band  of  the  line  round 
his  shoulders,  he  drew  the  load  of  meat  easily  over  the 
snow.  We  followed  the  coulee  for  some  distance,  until 
coming  to  a  spot  where  the  bank  was  less  abrupt,  we  were 
able  to  draw  the  load  to  the  level  of  the  prairie;  then 
trudging  along  over  snow  and  grass,  we  arrived  at  the  lodge 
ere  yet  the  winter's  sun  had  touched  the  horizon. 

It  was  still  later  when  the  scout  returned.  He  had  much 
to  say  about  his  day's  work.  Soon  after  setting  out  in  the 
morning  he  had  struck  the  trail  of  a  moose,  and  had  followed 
it  for  a  long  distance.  The  moose  had  travelled  far,  and 
ere  the  day  was  half  done  the  scout  found  himself  a  long 
way  from  camp.  Still  he  persisted  in  keeping  the  trail.  At 
last  he  beheld  a  sight  that  made  him  think  of  other  things 
besides  his  game.  From  a  ridge  over  which  the  trail  led,  he 
espied  some  Indian  lodges  pitched  on  the  edge  of  the 
woods.  The  hunter  instantly  became  the  brave ;  he 
approached  the  neighbourhood  of  the  tents  with  the  utmost 
caution.  He  waited  long  enough  until  he  discovered  the 
tribe  to  which  the  Indians  belonged  ;  then  he  returned  with 
all  speed  to  tell  his  tidings  to  his  comrades.  The  band,  he 
said,  belonged  to  the  Cree  tribe ;  they  were  trapping  and 
hunting  in  the  vicinity  of  the  elbow  of  the  South  Saskatche- 
wan, and  had  now  been  here  for  some  days.     This  was 


Danger  ahead.  189 


bad  news  for  us.  We  had  hoped  that  our  winter  hut  at  the 
Forks  -would  remain  unknown  to  any  Irtdians  ;  and  now  this 
band  of  Crees  were  close  upon  us.  Unless  a  fall  of  snow 
would  quickly  come,  our  homeward  trail  to  the  hut  must  be 
struck  by  some  Cree  brave  in  the  next  few  days,  and  once 
struck  it  was  sure  to  be  followed.  The  Crees  were  not  hostile, 
but  that  was  a  fact  upon  which  we  could  not  long  count. 
Besides,  the  news  of  the  existence  of  a  hut  at  that  point 
would  soon  spread  among  the  tribe,  and  other  Indians 
would  hear  of  it  before  the  winter  was  over.  Mischief  might 
easily  come  from  it.  \Ye  must  endeavour  to  hide  our  trail 
by  some  stratagem. 

For  hours  that  evening  the  Sioux  sat  silently  before  the 
tent  fire,  buried  in  deep  thought.  A  snow-storm  would 
have  put  an  end  to  all  his  difficulties ;  but  the  night  looked 
fine  and  clear,  the  stars  were  shining  over  the  prairie,  the 
yellow  lustre  of  the  sunset  still  hung  in  the  western  sky. 

It  was  possible  to  branch  away  at  right  angles  from  our 
present  line,  and  to  continue  that  course  until  the  weather 
changed,  and  then  to  resume  the  old  direction  and  make 
straight  for  the  hut  ;  but  that  would  entail  much  extra  march- 
ing upon  the  horses  already  thin  and  weak,  and  would  pro- 
bably lead  to  the  loss  of  some  of  them.  Under  all  circum- 
stances the  best  course  to  adopt  seemed  to  be  to  remain 
camped  in  the  neighbourhood  until  a  change  of  weather 
would  obliterate  the  trail.    Accordingly  next  morning  a  move 


igo  Red  Cloud. 


was  made  a  few  miles  further  away  from  the  Crees,  and 
camp  was  again  pitched  in  a  spot  not  likely  to  catch  the  eye 
of  any  roving  Indian. 

The  next  night  brought  a  change  in  the  weather ;  the 
wind  began  to  rise,  clouds  came  drifting  up  from  the  north- 
east, and  ere  midnight  came  the  snow  was  falling  over  the 
plain.  We  were  ready  for  it ;  the  horses  had  all  been  driven 
in  at  nightfall ;  the  sleds  got  ready  for  the  march.  By  the 
light  of  the  fire  the  tent  was  struck  and  packed,  and  long 
ere  morning  began  to  break  upon  the  driving  scene  of  snow 
and  storm  our  little  cavalcade  was  far  away  on  its  march 
to  the  hut.  All  day  the  storm  blew,  the  snow  fell ;  and  all 
day  too,  Red  Cloud  led  the  march  through  blinding  drift, 
and  small  chance  was  there  of  keenest  eyes  ever  finding  our 
trail.  The  wind  blew  the  surface  of  the  snow  before  it, 
quickly  filling  every  cavity,  and  piling  up  the  fine  drift 
in  dazzling  heaps.  We  carried  on  all  day,  and  camp  was 
only  made  long  after  nightfall,  when  many  a  mile  of  snow- 
clad  wildemess  lay  between  us  and  the  Crees. 

Another  day's  march  brought  us  within  sight  of  the  pine- 
bluff  at  the  Forks,  and  that  night  the  tired  horses  were 
turned  adrift  in  the  sheltered  meadow  by  the  river,  and 
we  lay  down  to  rest  in  the  hut  at  the  Pascopee. 


igi 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Winter  comfort — Snowshoe-making — Snow  and  storm — The 
moose  woods — A  night  camp — Memories — A  midnight 
visitor — Maskeypeton  the  Iroquois — Danger — A  moose 
hunt — Indian  stalking — The  red  man's  happy  hunting- 
grounds — Plans — Raft-building. 

All  was  well  in  the  hv.t;  the  Cree  had  kept  watch 
and  ward.  No  Indians  had  found  the  place.  Every- 
thing promised  a  quiet,  peaceful  winter,  with  ample  time  to 
mature  plans  for  the  spring.  The  stage  which  had  been 
built  soon  after  our  first  arrival  at  the  spot  was  now  filled 
with  prime  buffalo  meat  ;  the  flour,  blankets,  and  other 
stores  taken  from  the  trader,  were  stored  carefully  away  on 
shelves  in  the  hut.  The  Cree  and  the  scout  dried  and 
rough-tanned  the  wolf,  carcajou,  and  buffalo  skins;  rude 
bedsteads  were  put  up  along  the  walls,  and  upon  them 
dried  grass,  skins,  and  blankets  made  most  comfortable 
beds.  A  large  store  of  fuel  was  chopped,  and  piled  outside 
the  door  ;  and  harness,  guns,  skins,  axes,  &c.,  gave  a  fur- 
nished appearance  to  the  interior,  which,  when  lighted  up 
by  the  pine-logs  in  the  evening  presented  a  look  of  comfort, 


192  Red  Cloud. 


in  striking  contrast  with  the  savage  desolation  of  the  wilder- 
ness without  when  the  mid-winter  rigour  came  full  upon  it. 

As  the  end  of  the  year  drew  nigh  the  storms  increased  in 
intensity.  The  snow  deepened  over  all  the  land,  but  the 
meadow  chosen  for  the  horses  held  such  an  abundance  of 
food  that  the  animals  stood  the  cold  well.  When  the  vetch 
and  wild  peas  were  exhausted,  a  swamp,  which  in  summer 
grew  a  thick  sedge-like  grass,  gave  excellent  sustenance  to 
them.  The  snow  was  easily  pawed  away  by  the  horses' 
fore-feet,  and  the  coarse  grass,  sweetened  by  the  frost,  was 
laid  bare  beneath.  Day  after  day  the  Sioux,  with  myself,  or 
the  scout,  or  Donogh,  set  out  on  a  hunt  for  venison,  and 
many  a  buck  fell  to  our  rifles  in  the  valleys  and  thickets  of 
the  surrounding  hills. 

As  the  snow  deepened  over  the  land,  the  use  of  the  snow- 
shoe  became  a  necessity  in  walking.  Before  the  want  had 
arisen  the  Indians  had  taken  measures  to  supply  it.  Birch- 
wood  had  been  cut  and  seasoned,  the  gut  of  the  jumping 
moose  dried  and  prepared,  and  the  rough  framework  put 
together,  afterwards  to  be  strung,  and  turned  into  the  re- 
quired shape. 

As  I  watched  the  clever  manner  with  which  the  wood  was 
pared  down  and  shaped,  and  with  what  beautiful  accuracy 
the  cross-pieces,  the  toes  and  heels,  were  fitted,  turned,  and 
made  ready  for  the  sinew  strings — all  done  too  with  only  a 
small  knife  and  an  awl,  and  done  with  such  apparent  ease, 


Day  after  day  the  Sioux,  with  myself,  or  the  scout,  or  Donogh,  set  out  on  a 
hunt  for  venison. 


Snowshoe-mahing.  193 

I  felt  tempted  to  say,  "  I  too  will  make  a  pair  of  snow- 
shoes  ;"  but  it  was  only  to  find  how  futile  was  the  effort  to 
imitate  the  handicraft  of  the  wild  man  in  the  work  of  the 
wilderness. 

By  the  time  the  snowshoes  were  finished  the  snow  was 
deep  enough  on  the  river  and  the  plains  to  fully  test  their 
capabilities.  I  determined  to  accustom  myself  early  to  the 
use  of  the  shoes,  so  that  I  might  be  able  to  keep  pace  with 
my  friends,  whose  power  of  snowshoe-walking  had  grown 
from  infancy.  With  this  object  I  was  out  every  morning 
as  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  tramping  along  the  frozen 
and  snow-covered  expanse  of  the  rivers,  or  forcing  my 
way  through  the  thicket-lined  shores,  and  up  the  hills 
and  slopes  of  the  surrounding  country.  At  first  I  found 
it  no  easy  matter  to  tread  my  way  over  soft  and  deep 
snow,  or  through  places  where  the  brambles  and  weeds 
lay  half-buried  in  the  drifts  and  dazzling  banks ;  but 
in  a  few  days  my  step  grew  more  firm,  my  stride 
became  longer  and  more  rapid,  and  after  a  week  I 
was  not  ashamed  to  join  Red  Cloud  for  a  hunt  after 
game. 

Thus  we  four  denizens  of  this  wild  and  lonely  spot 
ranged  over  the  land  surrounding  our  solitary  dwelling  ;  and 
ere  the  new  year  had  come  there  was  not  a  pine-bluff  or  a 
thicket  of  aspens — there  was  not  a  bend  on  the  rivers,  or  a 
glade  among  the  hills,  which  was  not  known  and  explored. 

o 


194  -^^^  Cloud. 


It  was  a  strange,  wild  life,  this  winter  roving  over  the  great 
untamed  wilderness  of  snow. 

At  times  the  days  were  bright  and  calm — the  sun  shone 
with  dazzling  lustre  upon  the  unspotted  surface  of  the  earth. 
The  branches  of  the  trees  glistened  in  the  white  rime  of  the 
morning,  the  dry  powdery  snow  sounded  hard  as  sand  under 
the  shoe. 

Again  the  scene  would  change,  and  wild  storms  swept 
sky  and  earth  ;  the  bitter  blast  howled  through  the  thickets, 
the  pine-trees  rocked  and  waved,  and  the  short  daylight 
closed  into  a  night  of  wrack  and  tempest.  Such  days  and 
nights  would  run  their  courses,  and  again  the  scene  would 
change  ;  the  wild  wind  would  sink  away,  the  snow  would 
cease  to  fall  or  to  drift,  a  death-like  stillness  would  ensue, 
and  with  a  brilliancy  of  untold  beauty  the  moon  would  be 
seen  above  the  still  and  tapering  pine-tops,  and  the  white 
light  of  frosted  silver,  set  with  myriad  sparkling  gems, 
would  overlay  all  the  land. 

The  new  year  came ;  January  drew  to  a  close.  Colder 
and  colder  the  iron  hand  of  winter  seemed  to  grasp  the 
forest  and  the  ridge,  the  silent  frozen  rivers,  and  the  lonely 
hills. 

One  day  the  Sioux  set  out  with  me  to  visit  a  large  wood 
of  pines  and  poplars,  the  tops  of  which  could  be  discerned 
from  a  ridge  lying  a  few  miles  away  from  the  hut.  It  was 
a  long  tramp,  and  the  dogs  were  taken  to  carry  kettle, 


The  moose  woods.  195 


blankets,  and  food,  in  preparation  for  camping  during  the 
night  in  the  wood  in  order  to  continue  the  hunt  on  the  fol- 
lowing day. 

As  the  morning  was  fine,  the  sun  shone  brightly  on  the 
snow,  and  the  dogs  followed  closely  in  the  footsteps  of  the 
Sioux,  as  with  rapid  strides  he  passed  over  the  white  ridges 
and  intervening  gullies  drifted  deep  in  snow.  I  walked 
behind  the  sled  that  carried  the  supplies  for  the  camp. 

The  day  passed  away,_  varied  by  nothing  save  exercise, 
broken  only  by  the  mid-day  halt  for  food.  It  was  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon  when  we  drew  near  the  broad  belt  of  wood 
which  was  to  be  our  home  for  the  night. 

For  some  miles  we  had  followed  a  tract  of.  low  meadow- 
land  along  the  river  ;  but  now  the  Sioux  led  across  the  frozen 
stream,  and  slipping  his  feet  from  the  snowshoe-strings  as 
he  gained  the  farther  shore,  he  began  to  ascend  a  very  steep 
ridge  that  rose  directly  from  the  opposite  bank. 

The  dogs  worked  might  and  main  to  follow  their  leader. 
I  urged  them  with  voice  and  whip  from  behind;  and  up  the 
slippery  ridge  we  scrambled  until  the  top  was  gained.  Here 
a  halt  was  made,  to  recover  breath  and  take  a  survey  of  the 
scene. 

Beneath,  spreading  away  for  many  a  mile,  lay  a  broken  and 

wooded  region,  over  which  patches  of  dark  green  pine-trees 

stood  in  marked  contrast  to  the  snowy  surface  of  level  and 

ridge.     Here  and  there  the  eye  caught  glimpses  of  unbroken 

o  2 


196  Red  Cloud. 


sheets  of  snow,  telling  the  presence  of  frozen  lakelets  be- 
neath. Indeed,  the  pine-trees  were  themselves  sufficient 
to  indicate  the  fact  of  water  in  abundance  being  there,  for 
it  was  water  alone  that  had  protected  them  in  the  dry 
autumn  days  from  the  wild  ravage  of  the  prairie  fire. 

The  Sioux  scanned  with  careful  sweep  of  vision  all  the 
wide  scene  from  east  to  west.  Then  seemingly  satisfied 
with  his  scrutiny,  he  resumed  his  snowshoes,  and  struck 
down  a  long  gradual  incline  towards  the  belt  of  wood- 
land. 

It  wanted  but  an  hour  of  sunset  when  the  first  pine-trees 
were  reached  ;  and  shortly  after,  the  small  grey  owl's  hoot 
sounding  through  the  vast  solitude  bade  us  select  a  thick 
clump  of  firs,  in  the  midst  of  which  a  cosey  camp  was 
quickly  made. 

Few  who  have  not  experienced  it  can  realize  the  full 
measure  of  comfort  which  the  wilderness,  even  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  can  hold  forth  to  its  denizens.  It  seems  difficult 
to  believe  that  a  camp,  made  in  the  open  snow,  amid  a 
clump  of  fir-trees,  with  nought  save  the  branches  between 
the  traveller  and  the  sky,  with  only  the  frozen  earth  swept 
clear  of  snow  for  his  floor,  and  with  blankets  and  a  skin  for 
bed  and  covering,  could  be  anything  save  the  most  miserable 
of  lodging-places.  But  it  is  marvellous  how  quickly  the 
wild  hunter  will  change  these  unpromising  materials  into  a 
spot  where  genial  warmth  can  be  felt,  where  rest  can  come 


A  ntglit  camp.  197 


to  weary  limbs,  where  food  can  fill  hungry  stomachs,  and  the 
pipe  of  peace  can  be  smoked  in  pleasant  repose. 

At  first  the  night  was  still  and  fine  ;  but  as  the  midnight 
hour  drew  on  the  wind  arose,  and  the  tree-tops  began  to 
bend  their  heads,  and  the  melancholy  cadence  of  the  sway- 
ing branches  fell  upon  our  ears  as  we  slept. 

Long  habit  had  given  the  Sioux  the  faculty  of  conscious- 
ness in  sleep ;  the  senses,  all  save  that  of  sight,  still  carried 
to  his  brain  their  various  messages. 

The  swaying  of  the  branches  soon  roused  him  to  wake- 
fulness, and  throwing  aside  his  robe  he  looked  out  at  the 
night.  The  fire  had  burned  down  to  ashes,  which  the  night- 
wind,  when  its  gusts  came  strongly  now  and  again,  blew  into 
dull  red  embers.  The  snow-light  made  visible  the  tree- 
trunks  around.  Overhead  he  could  mark  the  clouds  moving 
rapidly  from  the  east ;  the  storm  was  rising. 

He  got  up,  raked  the  ashes  together,  threw  some  wood 
upon  the  embers,  and  sat  down  to  watch  the  flickering 
flames  and  to  wait  for  the  dawn. .  The  noise  awoke  me,  and 
I  watched  him  from  where  I  lay.  Oftentimes  it  was  his 
wont  thus  to  sit  watching  in  those  hours  of  the  late  night. 
More  than  once  I  had,  on  other  occasions,  looked  out  from 
my  robe,  to  see  thus  seated  before  a  few  embers  the  figure 
of  my  friend.  Who  can  tell  the  thoughts  that  at  such 
moments  passed  through  the  mind  of  this  strange  man  ? 
Memories  of  that  great  wilderness  he  loved  so  well — of  these 


ipS  Red  Cloud. 


vast  solitudes,  which  to  him  had  nothing  awful.  Glimpses 
of  far-stretching  prairies — of  rivers  flowing  in  wide  curves 
through  endless  distances — of  trees  sinking  beneath  waves 
of  meadow-land.  Such  were  the  scenes  he  saw  in  the  pine- 
fire  embers.  Then  too  he  would  listen  to  the  voice  of  the 
tempest  in  far-off  forests  ;  and  as  the  sound  swept  through  the 
lone  hours  of  the  night,  there  came  to  him  many  a  thought  of 
boyhood  in  the  land  lost  to  his  tribe.  But  always,  as  he  has 
often  told  me,  his  mind  running  along  those  grooves  found 
the  same  resting-place — the  spot  where,  in  the  island  of  the 
mountains,  lay  the  bones  of  his  murdered  father.  And  then, 
with  all  the  bitter  wrath  of  his  heart  fanned  into  flame,  he  would 
rise  to  his  feet,  and  stalk  away  into  the  dark  forest  or  the 
silent  prairie,  and  looking  up  at  the  cold  stars  he  would  cry, 
"  Father,  thy  son  does  not  sleep.  He  wanders  over  the  earth 
only  to  revenge  thy  fate." 

As  now  he  sat,  with  head  sunken  on  his  hands,  and  eyes 
fixed  on  the  embers,  there  sounded  close  by  a  noise  as  of 
human  steps  upon  the  snow.  The  Sioux  turned  towards 
the  side  from  whence  the  sound  proceeded,  and  saw  in  the 
dim  light  of  the  snow  the  figure  of  a  man.  Calm  as  he 
habitually  was — accustomed  to  regard  the  sudden  indications 
of  danger  with  the  outward  semblance  of  repose,  he  never- 
theless on  this  occasion  felt  creep  upon  him  the  sensation 
of  fear.  Weird  and  ghostly,  the  figure  seemed  to  have 
risen  out  of  the  white   ground.     Instinctively  the    Sioux 


A  midnight  visitor. 


199 


grasped  the  rifle  that  lay  near  him.  The  strange  figure 
seemed  to  catch  the  movement :  he  spoke. 

"  As  a  friend  I  have  sought  your  camp,"  he  said.  "  Had 
I  come  as  an  enemy,  you  would  not  have  seen  me." 

Red  Cloud  relinquished  his  half-grasped  rifle,  and  rose 
to  meet  the  stranger. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  Maskeypeton  the  Iroquois." 

The  wind  still  rising,  now  blew  a  strong  gust,  which  swept 
the  camp,  causing  the  flames  to  flare  for  a  moment  through 
the  dry  wood  of  the  fire.  The  light  fell  full  upon  the  face 
of  the  stranger,  revealing  features  well  known  to  the 
Sioux. 

"  Maskeypeton  the  Iroquois,"  he  said,  "  no  matter  what 
has  brought  your  steps  at  this  hour  to  my  camp,  you  are 
welcome.     Sit  down  and  share  my  fire." 

The  stranger  answered,  "  There  was  a  day,  years  ago,  when 
you  turned  your  horse's  head  to  take  a  wounded  Iroquois  from 
under  the  guns  of  the  Long-knives  by  the  banks  of  the  Yellow- 
stone. Maskeypeton  is  here  to-night  because  of  that  day. 
Last  evening,"  he  said,  "  I  struck  your  trail  on  the  ice 
of  the  Pascopee.  I  was  then  bound  for  where  I  had  heard 
your  hut  lay.  I  followed  your  trail  while  daylight  lastcJ, 
rested  until  the  moon  rose,  and  then  kept  the  track  that  led 
me  hither." 

The  Sioux  listened  in  silence. 


20C  Red  Cloud. 


"  I  have  not  come,"  went  on  the  Iroquois,  "  without  a 
reason;  that  reason  is  a  warning.  Enemies  watch  for 
you.  They  have  found  the  spot  where  you  have  built 
your  winter  hut ;  and  when  the  snow  leaves  the  prairies, 
and  the  ice  breaks  in  the  rivers,  the  Sircies  will  seek  your 
life." 

**  But  I  have  no  quarrel  with  the  Sircies,"  answered  the 
Sioux.  "  No  man  of  the  tribe  has  ever  known  injury  at  my 
hand.     Why  should  they  now  try  to  harm  me  i  " 

"  Because  there  is  another  enemy  hidden  behind 
them,"  said  the  Iroquois.  *'  The  white  trader  finds  many 
weapons  with  which  he  strikes  his  blows." 

The  eyes  of  the  Sioux  reflected  with  a  strange  wild  glare, 
the  fitful  light  of  the  fire,  but  he  said  nothing.  After  a 
while  he  asked, — 

"  Is  the  trader  with  the  Sircies  ?  " 

*'  No,  he  is  living  at  the  white  man's  fort  by  the  river  cf 
the  Gros  Ventres." 

The  Sioux  thought  in  silence  over  the  tidings  the  Iroquois 
had  unfolded  to  him,  and  already  his  mind  had  formed  its 
plan,  but  he  did  not  even  thank  his  informant  for  the  timely 
warning. 

Looking  towards  the  northern  sky,  he  saw  by  the  posi- 
tion of  the  Great  Bear  that  morning  was  drawing  near, 
and  that  it  was  time  to  prepare  for  the  work  of  the 
coming    day.      The    conversation    with    the   new   comer 


Danger.  2C1 


had  been  carried  on  in  a  low  tone.  To  me  it  was  un- 
intelligible at  the  time,  but  later  on  I  became  aware  of  its 
meaning. 

Of  the  purport  of  the  stranger's  visit;  Red  Cloud  now 
said  nothing,  he  simply  explained  the  presence  of  the 
Iroquois,  by  remarking  that  he  had  struck  and  followed 
our  trail  of  the  previous  day,  that  he  was  an  old  friend, 
and  would  join  them  in  hunting  the  moose  during  the  next 
few  days.  The  morning  already  gave  every  indication  of 
being  followed  by  a  day  well  suited  to  the  pursuit  of  the 
moose ;  the  trees  rocked  and  swung  under  the  gusts  of  storm, 
and  the  moan  of  the  wind  through  the  stretch  of  pine  forest 
promised  the  hunters  the  best  guarantee  of  a  noiseless  ap- 
proach to  the  resting-place  of  that  most  suspicious  and  far- 
hearing  denizen  of  the  waste.  Breakfast  over,  we  set  out 
from  the  camp,  leaving  the  sled  and  harness  suspended 
in  the  fork  of  a  tree  to  save  the  leather  fastenings  from 
the  attacks  of  the  dogs.  Red  Cloud  led  the  way,  plunging 
directly  into  a  labyrinth  of  wood,  which  soon  opened  upon 
a  frozen  and  snow-covered  lakelet.  At  the  farther  side  of 
this  open,  a  profusion  of  willow  bushes  were  seen ;  along 
these  we  bent  our  steps,  and  soon,  in  the  deep  snow  that 
had  drifted  around  the  willow  stems,  a  series  of  large  hoof- 
prints  became  visible,  now  leading  around  the  edge  of  the 
thickets,  now  into  the  midst  of  them,  while  the  tops  in  many 
places  hung  down,  bruised  and  broken,    as  though  some 


202  Red  Cloud. 


tall  animal  had  been  browsing  upon  them  as  he  travelled 
along.  The  Indians  looked  at  the  tracks  intently,  and  then 
pushed  their  way  through  the  thicket  to  the  edge  of  the 
forest  at  the  farther  side ;  here  a  perfect  network  of  foot- 
marks seemed  to  lead  in  every  direction,  crossing  each 
other  in  apparently  hopeless  confusion.  But  the  Sioux  did 
not  appear  to  have  any  doubt  as  to  the  line  he  should 
follow.  Passing  again  into  the  forest,  he  held  his  way  with- 
out pause  through  tangled  brake  and  thicket.  I,  however, 
noticed  that  we  were  now  following  a  double  track,  that  is 
to  say,  a  track  made  by  an  animal  which  had  gone  to  and 
returned  from  the  willows  by  the  same  line,  but  the  double 
marks  were  not  always  distinctly  defined.  On  the  contrary, 
it  required  the  most  careful  scrutiny  to  discover  the  existence 
of  a  double  footprint  in  the  holes,  so  exactly  had  the  ani- 
mal appeared  to  place  one  footstep  in  the  impression  al- 
ready made  by  him  in  the  snow.  I  noted  that  the  Sioux, 
when  he  did  bend  down  to  examine  the  holes,  paid  particu- 
lar attention  to  the  edge  of  the  snow  at  the  point  where  the 
hoof  of  the  moose  had  last  quitted  the  track.  At  this  edge  a 
few  fine  grains  of  snow  lay  on  the  surface  of  the  older  fallen 
mass,  and  these  light  particles  seemed  to  give  to  the  tracker 
his  test  of  proximity  to  his  game.  Sometimes  he  would  blow 
gently  upon  them,  sometimes  he  would  content  himself  with 
pushing  the  muzzle  of  his  leather-covered  gun  into  the  foot- 
marks. 


A  moose  hunt.  203 


All  at  once  a  change  passed  over  his  mode  of  pursuit. 
His  pace  slackened ;  his  step  was  more  carefully  planted, 
and  his  eye  scanned  more  closely  the  surroundings  of  copse, 
brake,  and  thicket.  He  now  motioned  the  Iroquois  to  stay 
in  one  spot,  and  whispering  me  to  keep  close  behind  him, 
and  to  tread  as  much  as  possible  in  his  footsteps,  he  turned 
aside  at  a  right  angle  and  bore  away  deep  into  the  forest, 
apparently  following  no  track  of  any  kind. 

Following  closely  behind,  I  noticed  that  the  course  was 
not  straight — it  bent  inwards  in  a  wide  circle,  so  that  if 
continued  it  must  again  strike  the  trail  of  the  moose.  It 
was  so  ;  with  long  drawn  steps  the  Sioux  came  back  again 
upon  his  old  line  at  a  point  some  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
where  he  had  quitted  it.  Arrived  near  the  line  of  tracks  he 
made  a  most  careful  study  of  the  ground,  and  noted  each 
footprint  with  great  care  ;  then  he  bent  his  steps  back  again 
in  the  way  he  had  come,  and  again  bent  round  so  as  to 
make  another  half  circle,  this  time  a  considerably  shorter 
one.  His  course  I  can  but  illustrate  by  the  following 
diagram — 


The   straight  lines  representing    the  original  track  ol  the 
moose,  and  the  curved  ones  the  course  which  we  followed, 


204  R^d  Cloud. 


in  lessening  half-circles,  that  ended  and  began  again  some 
few  yards  short  of  the  trail. 

The  object  of  these  curious  tactics  was  not  at  once  ap- 
parent to  me;  but  I  noted  two  points  that  threw  some 
light  upon  them.  One  was  the  fact  that  the  circles  were  always 
made  to  the  side  away  from  the  wind ;  and  the  other  was, 
that  the  Sioux  on  arriving  near  the  line  of  trail  invariably 
directed  his  scrutiny  of  bush  and  thicket  to  the  space  lying 
between  us  and  the  line,  little  care  being  taken  to  examine 
the  forest  directly  along  the  trail  to  the  front. 

Three  circles  had  thus  been  made  without  any  result, 
and  we  had  once  more  drawn  nigh  the  line  of  trail.  A  few 
steps,  more  carefully  taken  than  any  that  had  gone  before, 
brought  us  to  their  limit,  some  few  yards  short  of  the  line. 

To  the  left  front  as  we  looked  towards  the  trail  there 
stood  a  small  clump  of  broken  and  tangled  wood,  lying 
within  twenty  paces  of  the  trail.  The  Sioux  looked  long 
and  steadfastly,  then  he  advanced  half-a-dozen  paces  to  his 
front,  noiseless  as  the  footfall  of  a  hare  in  a  thicket ;  all  at 
once  he  stopped.  As  yet  the  gun-cloth  had  not  been  taken 
from  his  gun,  but  now  I  noticed  that  the  barrel  was  un- 
covered ;  still  the  hammer  remained  upon  half-cock.  I  had 
not  gone  forward  the  last  ten  paces,  for  I  instinctively 
realized  from  the  manner  of  my  companion  that  the  final 
moment  of  the  stalk  was  at  hand. 

^Vithout  changing  his  position  Red  Cloud  now  beckoned 


Indian  stalking,  205 

me  to  his  side,  with  a  gesture  impressing  the  utmost  caution. 
Both  of  us  had  long  since  taken  off  our  snowshoes,  and 
our  moccasined  feet  scarcely  sounded  in  the  snow.  When 
we  were  close  together  Red  Cloud  said,  in  a  low  whisper, — 

"  Look  in  the  centre  of  yonder  thicket." 

I  looked,  and  saw  nothing  bej-ond  the  maze  of  tangled 
branch  half-sunken  in  soft  snow.  Red  Cloud  now  raised  his 
gun,  but  it  still  remained  at  the  half-cock.  I  looked,  and 
looked  again,  but  could  make  out  nothing.  All  at  once 
the  sharp  click  of  the  hammer,  drawn  to  full  cock  with  some- 
what unusual  strength,  and  therefore  noise,  struck  the  ear ; 
a  second  later  and  there  rose  up  in  the  thicket  centre,  fifty 
yards  from  where  he  stood,  a  huge,  dusky  animal.  The 
Sioux  seemed  in  no  hurry,  he  took  matters  as  coolly  as  though 
the  moose  was  working  in  obedience  to  his  own  movements ; 
the  moose  stared  blankly  at  us,  the  Sioux  looked  quietly  at 
the  moose.  The  pause  was  only  for  four  seconds,  but  to 
me  it  seemed  an  age.  All  at  once  the  spell  was  broken. 
Quick  as  lightning  the  gun  was  raised  to  the  shoulder,  the 
shot  rang  out,  and  the  moose  bounded  like  a  ball  from  a 
cannon,  crashing  out  of  the  thicket.  "  Missed,"  thought  I 
— no ;  not  a  bit  of  it.  Thirty  paces  were  not  covered  ere 
the  great  beast  plunged  forward  in  the  snow,  a  struggling 
mass  amid  the  spotless  white. 

We  drew  near  the  quarry.  He  was  a  noble  animal.  The 
Sioux  regarded  him  with  looks  of  pride.     It  was  a  stalk 


2o6  Red  Cloud. 


well  done;  it  had  been  a  triumph  fairly  gained  over  an 
animal  remarkable  over  all  the  wild  animals  of  the  North 
American  forest  for  cunning  and  sagacity. 

And  now  as  we  waited  for  the  Iroquois,  I  had  fully  ex- 
plained to  me  the  tactics  I  had  just  witnessed.  When  the 
time  for  lying  down  comes,  in  the  early  dawn,  the  moose 
selects  a  safe  spot  to  the  leeward  side  of  the  trail  he  has 
followed  ;  in  fact,  he  retraces  his  trail  for  some  distance  be- 
fore deviating  from  it.  He  takes  up  his  resting-place  for 
the  day,  guided  by  instinct  to  select  a  spot  from  which  he 
can  catch  the  wind  of  any  person  following  his  footsteps. 
To  defeat  this  excessive  caution  was  the  object  of  those 
curious  lines  of  approach  taken  by  the  Sioux ;  each  time 
he  came  out  within  sight  of  the  line  on  which  he  knew  that 
the  moose  was  to  be  looked  for  in  some  adjoining  thicket. 
Thus  each  brake  had  been  scanned.  To  have  followed  the 
trail  would  have  been  to  have  given  the  animal  warning  of 
our  approach.  It  was  only  by  cautiously  examining  all 
possible  lurking-places  from  behind  them,  /.  e.  to  leeward  of 
them,  that  the  result  we  have  seen  could  be  attained. 

The  work  of  skinning  and  cutting  up  the  moose  was  now 
proceeded  with.  The  distance  from  the  camp  was  not  far, 
and  while  the  Sioux  made  ready  the  carcase,  I  went  back 
along  our  track  to  bring  the  dogs  for  the  meat.  When  I 
got  back  from  the  camp  with  the  sleds  all  was  ready.  Skin, 
marrow-bones,  and  meat  were  all  packed  away,  and  before 


The  Red  Mafi's  happy  htintiiig-grotinds.       207 

the  low-set  sun  had  touched  the  pine-tops  in  the  west  we 
were  back  again  in  our  c^mp. 

It  was  a  grand  feast  that  evening  for  both  dogs  and  men. 
We  sat  long  in  the  red  light  of  the  fire,  frying  the  delicious 
marrow-bones,  and  tousling  rich  bits  of  meat.  The  Iroquois 
looked  the  picture  of  content.  He  had  had  a  hard  time  of 
it  for  some  weeks  lu  told  us  ;  his  gun  had  not  shot  straight; 
the  moose  had  been  wild,  the  days  calm ;  but  now  plenty 
had  come,  and  he  seemed  determined  to  make  up  for  past 
misfortunes.     He  spoke  English  fairly  well. 

"  White  Brother,"  he  said  to  me,  amid  one  of  the  pauses 
in  our  repast,  "  these  are  the  happy  moments  in  our  lives ; 
these  are  the  moments  which,  when  we  think  of  them  in 
civilization,  draw  us  out  again  into  the  wilds.  Months  of 
hunger  and  cold  are  forgotten  in  a  day  such  as  we  have 
spent  to-day." 

"  But,"  said  I,  "  you  are  a  stranger  here ;  your  people 
dwelt  far  away  beyond  the  great  lakes,  where  the  white 
man's  cities  now  cover  the  land,  and  where  the  rivers  are 
furrowed  by  the  wheels  of  his  fire-boats." 

"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  that  was  my  home,  and  a  remnant 
of  my  race  still  dwell  by  the  shores,  of  the  St.  Lawrence ; 
but  for  me  it  would  not  do.  I  came  here  twenty  years  ago, 
a  youth,  in  the  canoe  of  a  trader.  I  have  lived  in  these 
woods  and  prairies  ever  since.  In  my  own  land  I  was  a 
stranger,  in  this  strange  land  I  found  myself  at  home." 


208  Red  Cloud. 


Next  morning  the  return  march  to  the  hut  was  begun. 
The  Iroquois  formed  one  of  our  party.  We  moved  over 
the  snow-clad  wilderness  in  silence.  Red  Cloud  was 
busily  engaged  in  forming  plans  by  which  we  might  hope 
to  elude  the  designs  of  his  enemies  The  Iroquois,  always 
reserved  and  taciturn,  moved  along  wrapped  in  his  blanket, 
silent  and  impassive ;  and  I  felt  in  no  humour  to  break  in 
upon  the  plans  or  meditations  of  my  companions. 

Darkness  had  quite  fallen  when  the  dogs,  tired  by  the 
weight  of  the  moose  meat  which  they  were  hauling,  came 
in  sight  of  the  hollow  in  which  the  hut  lay.  Then  the 
weary  load  grew  light  in  anticipation  of  home,  and,  pulling 
vigorously  at  the  traces,  the  fire-lit  doorway  of  tlie  little 
hut  was  soon  reached. 

But  long  before  the  journey  was  over,  Red  Cloud  had 
fully  matured  in  his  brain  a  plan  which  promised  him 
escape  from  the  toils  that  encompassed  him.  That  plan 
he  briefly  explained  to  me  as  follows, — 

On  the  ice-covered  little  indentation,  or  mimic  bay,  close 
beneath  the  east  wall  of  the  hut,  we  would  construct  a  large 
and  solid  raft  of  dry  pine-trees.  The  raft  when  finished 
would  be  lashed  to  the  trees  on  the  shore  to  await  the 
disruption  of  the  frozen  river.  The  ice  once  gone  and  the 
structure  afloat,  the  work  of  loading  goods  and  chattels, 
guns  and  ammunition,  would  begin  ;  then,  at  the  first  signal 
of  assault  from  hostile  Sircies,  the  hut  and  its  fixtures  would 


Plans.  209 


be  fired,  and  down  the  swift-rolling  flood  of  the  loosened 
rivers  would  glide  the  ark,  bearing  to  realms  of  safety  our 
little  party  from  the  ruined  site  of  our  winter  home.  Such 
were  the  means  by  which  he  hoped  to  defeat  once  more 
the  machinations  of  his  foes. 

The  next  morning  saw  the  beginning  of  the  refuge  raft. 
The  pine  bluff  echoed  with  the  ringing  strokes  of  well- 
wielded  axes,  and  soon  a  dozen  dead  and  dry  pine-trees 
had  fallen,  and  their  trunks  were  rapidly  being  cleared  of 
branches  and  cut  into  even  lengths  of  U  u  teen  feet,  and 
others  of  ten  and  twelve.  The  dry  trees  v  e  e  the  only  ones 
fit  for  the  work ;  the  green  ones,  heavy  with  sap,  would  have 
floated  too  low  in  the  water  to  allow  of  weights  being  placed 
on  them. 

When  a  sufficient  number  of  dry  trees  had  been  felled 
and  cut  into  lengths,  the  work  of  drawing  them  to  the  little 
bay  began.  Every  one  worked  with  a  will ;  but  many  of 
the  trees  had  been  cut  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
hut,  and  it  was  laborious  work  to  get  the  larger  pieces  into 
position  upon  the  ice.  Then  was  done  the  work  of  notch- 
ing and  shaping  the  various  parts  of  the  raft,  and  forming 
the  outer  framework  upon  which  the  higher  platform  was 
to  be  builL  The  two  longest  and  thickest  trunks  were 
placed  as  outside  pieces,  these  two  were  connected  together 
by  cross  sticks  at  either  end,  and  all  formed  a  massive 
frame  twenty  feet  in  length  by  eight  feet  across  ;  over  these 

P 


210  Red  Cloud. 


in  turn  were  placed  eight  pieces  of  lesser  bulk  and  size, 
crossed  and  held  together  by  transverse  sticks. 

While  these  preparations  were  going  on,  theCreewas  busily 
engaged  in  cutting  up  and  stretching  into  pliable  lengths  long 
strips  of  "  Shahanappi,"  or  buffalo  and  moose  skin ;  these, 
when  fully  stretched,  were  passed  around  the  trunks,  lacing 
the  entire  structure  into  a  most  compact  and  powerful  raft. 

In  three  days'  time  the  raft  was  finished,  and  as  it  had 
been  in  the  first  instance  laid  upon  the  exact  spot  on  the 
ice  which  it  was  meant  to  occupy  when  afloat,  no  further 
labour  was  necessary  to  drag  the  ponderous  mass  into  posi- 
tion, and  nothing  remained  but  to  complete  the  arranging 
and  sorting  of  the  stores,  and  many  minor  details,  and  to 
make  everything  ready  for  rapid  embarkation  when  the 
hour  of  movement  would  have  arrived. 

The  first  object  aimed  at  by  Red  Cloud  was  to  avoid 
leaving  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies  any  token  of  his  de- 
feat. He  was  determined  that,  if  he  could  help  it,  not  a 
gun  or  trophy  should  be  shown  as  things  that  had  been 
taken  from  the  wandering  Sioux.  Nothing  in  fact  save 
the  possession  of  a  barren  site  should  be  left  to  his  enemies. 
The  chief  difficulty  lay  in  the  horses.  How  were  they  to 
be  removed  ?  There  could  be  no  reason  to  expect  that 
the  Sircies  would  allow  a  day  of  practicable  weather  to 
elapse  after  the  melting  of  the  snow  before  their  scouts 
would  be  on  the  alert,  around  a  wide  circle  of  the  banks, 


Raft  building.  211 


to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  party  by  land.  It  looked  as 
if  all  the  horses  must  be  sacrificed.  The  idea  of  killing 
his  favourite  horse,  his  long-tried,  faithful  friend,  was  a 
thought  that  Red  Cloud  could  not  endure.  He  spent  many 
hours  in  thinking  out  some  method  of  escape.  At  last  he 
hit  upon  what  seemed  to  promise  success.  He  would 
build  another  raft,  and  putting  himself  upon  it,  and  his  steed 
swimming  behind  it,  he  would  run  the  river  alone  ;  the  others 
would  go  on  the  first  raft.  He  told  me  his  plan.  I  pro- 
posed that  the  raft  should  be  made  large  enough  to  carry 
two  people,  and  that  I  should  also  take  my  horse,  and  still 
continue  to  share  the  fortunes  of  my  friend. 

The  Sioux  consented  to  this  arrangement,  and  the  work  . 
of  building  soon  began.  Some  changes  were  made  in  the 
shape  and  construction  of  the  second  raft,  to  enable  it  to 
bear  the  unequal  strain  likely  to  be  put  on  it.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  days  it  was  declared  finished,  and,  moored 
side  by  side  with  the  one  first  built,  was  in  readiness  to 
receive  its  cargo  whenever  the  moment  would  arrive.  Thus 
we  found  ourselves  ere  the  close  of  winter  preparing  to 
meet  as  best  we  could  a  formidable  attack  from  powerful 
enemies.  The  forewarning  given  by  the  Iroquois  had 
enabled  us  to  forearm,  and  it  now  only  remained  to  await 
ihe  attack  when  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  would  let  loose 
the  passions  of  our  enemies,  and  the  flood-gates  of  our  friends 
— the  Pascopee  and  the  Red  Deer  rivers, 
p  2 


212  Red  Cloud, 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  winter  draws  to  an  end— A  keen  look-out— Signs— The 
break-up  of  the  rivers— An  ice  block— The  enemy  ap- 
proaches— A  noiseless  arrow — The  ice  still  fast — The  ice 
flows-^The  war-cry  of  assault — A  parley — We  embark  on  the 
rafts— The  hut  in  flames—  On  shore  again — Freedom — Winter 
gone. 

The  end  of  the  long  winter  was  drawing  nigh :  the  snow 
yet  lay  on  plain  and  forest,  the  ice  held  dominion  as  firm 
as  ever  over  lake  and  river,  the  frost  at  night  was  still  severe  ; 
nevertheless,  there  were  many  signs  of  approaching  spring. 
The  knolls  and  edges  facing  the  mid-day  sun  had  become 
bare  of  snow ;  the  air,  during  the  hour  of  noon,  felt  warm 
and  balmy ;  the  siirface  of  the  snow  became  soft  under  the 
sun  ;  and  there  was  in  the  atmosphere  an  indescribable 
sense  of  freshness,  that  presaged  the  near  retreat  into  more 
northern  realms  of  the  grim  winter  king  who  had  so  long 
ruled  with  iron  grasp  the  subject  land. 

As  the  first  symptom  of  the  enemy's  approach  might  now 
be  looked  for  in  the  neighbourhood,  it  became  necessary  to 


The  zuinter  draws  to  an  end.  213 

adopt  all  precautions  against  surprise,  and  to  get  the  horses 
under  the  protection  of  the  hut. 

There  remained  from  last  summer  a  total  of  five  horses, 
two  having  been  lost  after  the  prairie  expedition  in  the 
end  of  November.  The  five  were  now  driven  in  from  their 
wintering  ground ;  they  were  found  to  be  in  excellent  con- 
dition after  their  three-and-a-half  months  in  the  snow ; 
two  of  them  were,  however,  of  little  value,  and  it  was 
decided  that  it  would  be  better  to  sacrifice  these  at  once 
— not  only  because  their  ultimate  fate  was  sealed,  but  also 
because  the  means  of  keeping  the  remainder  in  food  were 
extremely  limited,  no  supply  of  hay  having  been  stored  in 
the  previous  autumn. 

The  roof  of  the  hut  held,  however,  a  large  stock  of  the 
long  reedy  grass  that  horses  love  so  well  to  feed  upon,  and 
the  thick  covering  of  snow  which,  during  the  entire  winter 
had  overlaid  this  thatch  had  kept  the  grass  clean  and  suc- 
culent. One  side  of  the  roof  was  now  divested  gradually 
of  its  covering,  and  enough  of  provender  was  obtained 
to  keep  the  three  horses  alive  during  the  few  remaining 
days  they  had  to  wait.  We  had  already  erected  a  small 
stockade,  which  covered  the  approach  to  the  rafts,  in  case 
an  attempt  should  be  made  to  rush  the  place. 

It  was  the  habit  of  Red  Cloud  to  spend  many  hours  of 
the  day  in  reconnoitring  the  line  by  which  alone  it  was 
possible  for  any  hostile  party  to  approach  the  hut.     The 


214  ^^^  Cloud. 


time  had  now  arrived  when  signs  of  scouts  must  be  evident 
if  the  expected  attack  was  to  take  place.  The  ice  had 
begun  to  loosen  in  the  rivers,  and  the  snows  were  vanishing 
quickly  from  the  face  of  the  prairies. 

About  the  fourth  day  after  the  Sioux  had  begun  to  re- 
connoitre, the  Iroquois  started  out  to  examine  the  country 
along  the  North  river.  Keeping  the  low  ground  between 
ridge  and  river,  he  watched  intently  the  drifts  and  open 
spaces  by  which  a  scout  would  have  been  likely  to  pass. 
At  a  spot  lying  about  a  mile  from  the  Forks,  he  came  upon 
a  footprint  that  had  not,  he  thought,  been  made  by  any 
denizen  of  the  hut.  He  brought  the  Sioux  to  the  place, 
and  a  comparison  of  the  snow-shoes  of  the  party  with  that 
of  the  impression  in  the  snow,  showed  the  surmise  to  be 
correct.     There  had  been  strange  Indians  lurking  about. 

But  the  Sioux  was  now  quite  prepared  for  any  movement 
of  his  enemies.  The  ice  still  held  in  the  rivers,  but  each 
hour  gave  increasing  symptoms  of  its  disruption ;  great 
seams  and  rents  had  opened  in  it ;  in  the  central  portion 
channels  of  open  water  were  to  be  seen,  where  the  current 
ran  with  immense  velocity,  escaping  for  a  moment  from  the 
superincumbent  weight  of  ice,  and  again  vanishing  beneath 
it.  The  ravines  that  seamed  the  plain  were  daily  pouring 
down  streams  of  water  to  swell  the  volume  of  the  river, 
causing  the  ice  to  rise,  and  producing  the  rents  and  chasms 
already  spoken  of 


Strange  footprints. 


The  break-up  of  the  rivers.  2 1 5 

At  last  the  change  occurred.  It  was  night-time.  A 
great  tremor  seemed  to  vibrate  along  the  entire  surface  ; 
water  sprang  in  innumerable  places  through  the  fissures  ; 
great  blocks  of  ice  reared  up  and  fell  crashing  upon  their 
fellows,  and  the  mighty  mass  began  slowly  to  move. 

When  daylight  came  a  whirHng  volume  of  crashing  ice- 
floe was  seen,  and  the  rapidly  rising  river  told  the  story  of 
a  complete  break-up  along  the  entire  channels. 

The  rafts  held  well  to  their  moorings.  A  few  hours  more 
must  settle  the  question  of  escape.  The  river  had  now 
risen  to  a  height  of  seven  or  eight  feet  above  its  frozen 
surface,  and  soon  it  must  begin  to  subside ;  then  the 
larger  ice  would  rapidly  disappear.  Red  Cloud  watched 
the  water-mark;  so  long  as  the  floes  kept  drifting,  the 
water  was  rising,  or  stationary  ;  when  the  floes  would  show 
stranded  along  the  shores,  then  the  time  of  subsidence  had 
come. 

At  last  the  tide  turned  and  the  river  began  to  fall.  The 
ice  in  the  little  bay  had  been  rent  and  broken,  and  the 
water  rising,  from  beneath,  had  submerged  it ;  the  rafts  were 
half  floating.    > 

And  now  began  the  work  of  loading  stores :  saddles, 
food,  guns,  blankets,  kettles,  and  sundries,  were  ranged  in 
carefully  prepared  lots  upon  the  raft  destined  for  them, 
and  in  an  hour's  time  everything  was  ready  for  departure — 
everything  save  the  river ;  another  block  had  taken  place 


2l6  Red  Cloud. 


in  the  ice  below  the  junction,  and  the  pent  waters  w^ere  again 
beginning  to  rise. 

Mid-day  came,  and  yet  the  block  continued ;  fortunately 
the  rising  water  had  ample  room  to  spread  itself  over  the 
low-lying  grounds  along  the  rivers,  and  the  rise  was  not 
sudden.  Still  the  danger  of  some  huge  block  of  ice  being 
forced  upon  the  rafts  was  considerable,  and  it  was  necessary 
to  watch  narrowly  the  rising  tide,  and  to  stand  by  the  rafts, 
with  poles  ready,  to  keep  them  afloat  in  case  of  a  rapid 
subsidence  setting  in. 

The  evening  was  drawing  near.  All  day  the  Iroquois 
had  watched  the  plain  at  the  top  of  the  point,  from  the 
screen  of  forest  that  fringed  its  edge.  The  Sioux  and  I 
had  spent  the  time  between  this  advanced  post  and  the 
scene  at  the  rafts,  and  the  scout  had  stood  ready  with  rifle 
and  pole.  Donogh  and  the  Cree  had  charge  of  the  horses. 
Dry  grass  and  wood  shavings  had  been  piled  inside  the 
now  empty  hut,  ready  for  the  match ;  but  still  the  scene 
remained  unchanged — no  enemy  appeared;  the  river  was 
yet  blocked. 

All  at  once  there  came  alow  signal-call  from  the  Iroquois 
upon  the  ridge.  Red  Cloud  and  I  rapidly  ascended  to 
the  look-out  point.  The  Iroquois  had  seen  a  strange  figure 
emerge  from  a  thicket  half-a-mile  distant,  and  disappear 
over  the  edge  of  the  ridge.  Then  half-a-dozen  others 
followed,  one  by  one,  and  glided  over  the  edge.     The  sight 


The  enemy  approaches.  217 

had  been  for  an  instant  only ;  but  it  was  enough — the 
enemy  was  at  hand. 

Leaving  the  Iroquois  at  his  post,  Red  Cloud  and  I  turned 
off  along  the  slope  of  the  ridge,  on  the  side  towards  which 
the  figures  had  been  seen  to  disappear.  About  one  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  hut,  a  landslip  on  the  steep  bank 
had  carried  away  all  trees  and  brushwood,  leaving  the  sandy 
sloping  bank  quite  bare  of  cover.  This  open  space  of 
fifty  yards  across  had  already  been  marked  by  us  as  a  glacis 
over  which  an  advancing  enemy  must  expose  himself  to 
view.  On  the  edge  of  this  open,  we  now  awaited  the  further 
approach  of  our  enemies.  It  was  in  fact  the  only  vulnerable 
side ;  the  rivers  protecting  the  point  upon  two  sides,  while 
the  rest  of  the  angle  was  completely  commanded  by  the 
look-out  ridge. 

Keeping  now  well  within  cover,  we  silently  watched  the 
open  landslip.  The  Sioux  carried  his  double-barrelled 
rifle,  his  short  bow,  and  a  quiverful  of  arrows. 

"  They  make  no  noise,"  he  whispered  to  me,  "  and  at 
this  distance  are  better  than  bullets." 

It  was  now  sunset :  there  was  still  about  half  an  hour  of 
good  light.  Would  the  hostile  party  await  darkness,  or 
make  its  advance  without  further  delay  ? 

"  Had  they  meant  to  attack  after  dark,-"  said  the  Sioux, 
"  they  would  not  have  shown  in  the  open.  They  will  come 
on  at  once." 


21 8  Red  Cloud. 


He  had  scarcely  whispered  this  to  me,  when  from  the 
brushwood  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  sHp  appeared  the 
dark  figure  of  an  Indian.  He  was  quickly  followed  by 
others.  They  came  full  into  the  open,  heading  directly 
across  for  the  spot  where  we  stood ;  they  thus  presented 
only  a  single  file  to  us.  Ere  the  leading  figure  had  gained 
a  quarter  of  the  way,  a  noiseless  arrow  sped  from  the  bow 
of  the  Sioux.  The  aim  was  a  true  one  !  The  shaft  struck 
the  leader  in  the  shoulder,  and  brought  the  whole  party 
to  a  halt. 

At  forty  yards  the  arrows  from  a  practised  hand  will 
follow  each  other  in  rapid  succession.  Scarcely  had  the 
first  arrow  struck,  ere  another  was  winging  its  way,  narrowly 
grazing  the  now  startled  band.  Instinctively  the  entire 
party  fell  back  upon  the  cover  which  they  had  just  quitted, 
and  ere  they  had  gained  its  shelter  another  shaft  found  its 
billet  amongst  their  rearmost  ranks. 

"  Go  quickly  to  the  rafts,"  whispered  Red  Cloud  to  me ; 
"  see  if  the  river  runs.  I  shall  remain  here ;  the  enemy 
will  not  attempt  to  cross  the  open  again  for  some  time. 
When  it  is  quite  dark  I  will  fall  back  upon  the  hut,  and 
before  morning  the  channel  must  be  clear." 

The  war  party  of  Sircies  made  no  further  attempt  to 
cross  the  open.  They  formed,  in  fact,  only  an  advanced 
party  of  the  main  wart-rail,  and  they  decided  to  wait  the 
arrival  of  the  entire  force  before  making  any  onward  move. 


The  ice  flows.  219 


They  had  hoped  to  surprise  us ;  but  we  were  fully  upon  the 
alert,  and  neither  the  hour  nor  the  strange  silent  method  of 
our  defence  induced  them  to  advance. 

The  river  still  remained  fast.  Darkness  came  on.  We 
were  now  within  the  hut.  The  hostile  Indians  had  as  yet 
made  no  further  sign  of  their  proximity;  but  any  moment 
might  find  them  full  upon  the  place,  and  all  depended  upon 
their  method  of  attack.  If  they  decided  to  make  an  assault 
in  force  upon  the  defences,  their  numbers  must  prevail ; 
but  as  they  were  in  ignorance  of  the  existence  of  the  rafts, 
and  looked  upon  the  ultimate  capture  of  the  little  party  at 
the  hut  as  a  certainty,  there  was  every  reason  to  suppose 
that  tliey  would  not  press  an  assault  upon  what  in  time, 
they  deemed,  must  be  their  own. 

Slowly  the  night  wore  on.  Towards  midnight  the  river 
showed  symptoms  of  subsiding ;  the  water  slowly  ebbed 
along  the  edge  of  the  little  bay,  and  the  ice  began  to  strand 
upon  the  shore  ;  but  the  subsidence  was  so  gradual  that  it  was 
impossible  to  say  whether  it  really  meant  a  final  break  in  the 
barrier  below.  About  three  hours  before  daylight,  however, 
the  decrease  in  the  water-level  grew  more  rapid ;  not  only 
did  the  shore  give  its  symptoms,  but  the  central  portions  of 
the  streams  were  heard  in  movement.  At  first  slowly  the 
downward  motion  began,  then  faster  and  faster  it  became, 
until  soon,  in  many  a  wild  whirling  eddy,  the  vast  mass  of 
broken  ice  poured  along. 


220  Red  Cloud. 


The  river  had  fully  broken  up,  and  the  time  of  escape  was 
at  hand. 

Just  at  this  moment  there  sounded  from  the  high  ridge 
above  a  wild  and  well-known  cry.  It  was  the  war-whoop 
of  the  Sircies. 

The  hills  at  the  opposite  side  caught  up  the  sound,  and 
sent  it  ringing  back  in  answering  echoes.  It  was  the  signal 
for  assault  upon  the  hut. 

The  main  body  of  the  war  party  had  in  fact  arrived  upon 
the  scene,  and  there  no  longer  existed  any  reason  for  delaying 
the  attack.  The  cry  was  rapidly  followed  by  a  ringing 
volley  from  the  brushwood  at  the  farther  side  of  the  stock- 
ade. The  bullets  struck  right  and  left  among  the  trees,  but 
did  no  damage  to  any  of  our  little  party.  As  yet  we  made 
no  sign  by  voice  or  weapon  of  our  existence.  Screened 
behind  the  stockade,  the  Sioux  and  the  Iroquois  watched 
with  eagle  eyes  the  open  space  around  the  hut.  The  Cree 
stood  by  the  horses,  Donogh  and  I  watched  the  raft. 

Another  volley  came  crashing  around  the  hut,  but  still 
no  response  was  made  ;  no  shot  sounded  from  the  stockade. 

The  first  silent  flight  of  arrows  had  made  the  Sircies  care- 
ful in  their  advance,  and  now  not  a  brave  ventured  to  show 
himself  outside  the  sheltering  screen  of  wood.  While  thus 
the  enemy  contented  himself  with  firing  at  random  into  the 
surrounding  trees,  the  river  continued  to  pour  down  its  flood 
of  ice-floes,  and  to  deciease  in  level;  but  the  difficulties  of 


The  luar-cry  of  assault.  221 

withdrawing  from  the  position  in  front  of  a  watchful  foe 
during  daylight  were  so  great  that  the  Sioux  determined  to 
abandon  the  stockade  before  day  had  set  in,  and  to  attempt 
the  work  of  embarkation  under  cover  of  darkness. 

In  order  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  making  an  assault 
during  the  last  moments  of  night  he  now  engaged  in  a  pre- 
tended negotiation  for  surrender  with  them.  He  began  by 
inquiring  the  reason  for  this  attack.  He  reminded  them 
that  he  had  no  quarrel  with  them,  but  that  he  was  fully  pre- 
pared to  resist  to  the  utmost  every  attack,  and  to  sell  his  life 
as  dearly  as  possible. 

After  a  time  a  response  came  from  the  leader  of  the 
Sircies.  It  is  easy  to  find  cause  of  quarrel  when  quarrels  be 
once  determined  on.  In  this  respect  the  wild  man  is  not  a 
whit  behind  his  more  civilized  brother ;  so  on  the  present 
occasion  there  was  little  difliculty  in  showing,  to  the  satis- 
faction at  least  of  the  Sircie  braves,  that  there  existed  ample 
reasons  for  the  attack  upon  our  hut  at  the  Forks, 

"  Why  was  the  hut  there  at  all  ?  "  demanded  the  Sircie 
leader.  "  Was  the  ground  on  which  it  stood  Sioux  ground  ' 
Was  it  Cree  ground  ?  And  had  not  the  Sircies  hunted  over 
it  for  many  generations  ?  " 

To  these  questions  Red  Cloud  replied, — 

"That  he  had  come  to  winter  there,  believing  the  place 
to  be  neutral  territory ;  but  that  if  the  Sircies  could 
prove  to  him  their  right  to  it,  he  was  willing  to  pay  com- 


222  Red  Cloud. 


pensation  for  his  occupancy;  but,"  he  continued,  "this 
compensation  must  be  the  result  of  peaceful  negotiation  and 
not  evoked  from  him  by  war.  He  would  meet  peace  with 
peace,  and  he  was  equally  ready  to  oppose  war  with  war." 

These  sentiments,  expressed  at  much  greater  length  than 
I  have  here  recorded,  carried  the  waning  hours  of  the  night 
further  towards  the  day,  darkness  still  blotted  out  the  features 
of  the  landscape,  buc  the  stars  told  us  there  was  not  much 
time  to  lose.  Ere  the  harangues  were  finished,  the  work  of 
embarkation  had  begun  and  was  being  swiftly  proceeded 
with  ;  the  raft  with  the  baggage  was  ready,  save  to  take  on 
board  its  human  freight,  and  the  horses  were  to  be  led  into 
the  water  astern  of  the  second  raft  at  the  moment  it  was  to 
be  shoved  from  the  shore,  and  allowed  to  swnm  after  it  in  its 
descent  of  the  stream. 

A  low  whistle  from  the  little  bay  now  announced  to  the 
Sioux  that  all  was  ready  for  the  final  move.  He  again  ex- 
pressed aloud  to  the  enemy  his  resolve  to  defend  himself  to 
the  last,  then  falling  back  silently  and  swiftly  to  the  rafts  he 
saw  that  all  was  ready  ;  so  far  as  we  could  see,  the  river  was 
now  free  of  ice.  Then  the  Sioux  went  back  to  the  hut  again, 
struck  a  match,  and  threw  it  into  the  dry  hay  and  shavings 
which  had  been  piled  against  the  wooden  walls.  The  blaze 
kindled  rapidly,  but  we  had  previously  taken  the  precaution 
to  close  up  the  windows  with  clay  and  pieces  of  skin,,  so  that 
no  appearance  of  light  could  be  seen  from  without ;  leaving 


We  embark  on  the  rafts.  223 

the  hut,  the  Sioux  closed  the  door  carefully  behind  him.  In 
another  moment  he  was  with  us  at  the  raft  The  word  was 
given  to  shove  out  from  the  little  cove.  As  the  first  raft 
glided  into  the  current  we  unfastened  the  horses  from  the 
tree  and  stepped  upon  our  own  raft;  a  word  of  encouragement, 
a  tightening  of  the  reins,  and  the  two  horses  followed  us  into 
the  flood. 

Then  we  pushed  cautiously  out ;  the  current  caught  the 
raft  and  bent  its  course  down  river.  At  first  the  horses  as 
they  began  to  lose  their  footing  showed  many  signs  of 
fright,  snorting  and  breathing  fast ;  but  after  a  few  seconds 
they  seemed  assured,  by  the  low-spoken  words  of  encourage- 
ment as  well  as  by  the  facility  with  which  they  swam. 

And  now,  as  the  distance  lengthened  out  between  the  point 
and  our  raft,  a  change  occurred  in  the  scene.  From  out  the 
dark  grove  of  pines  there  came  a  bright  flame ;  at  first  it 
broke  in  fitful  flashes  from  amid  the  trees ;  but  anon  it  cast 
a  clear  and  steady  light  on  trunk  and  branch.  Quickly  it 
grew  in  strength ;  up  through  the  motionless  pines  at  last  it 
rose,  a  pyramid  of  flame,  so  bright  and  clear  that  no  longer 
could  even  the  Sircies  doubt  its  cause. 

It  v/as  the  hut  in  flames  ! 

Struck  with  astonishment,  and  deeming  the  conflagration 
to  be  a  ruse  of  the  Sioux  for  some  further  onslaught  upon 
them,  they  still  hesitated  what  to  do. 

At  last  one  or  two,  bolder  than  their  comrades,  pushed 


224  ^'^'^  Cloud. 


over  the  open  space  and  passed  the  stockade.  All  was 
silence  save  the  sharp  crackling  of  the  still  rising  flame.  Then 
others  followed ;  and  at  last  the  whole  band  approached  the 
point.  The  enemy  was  gone  !  No  horse,  no  gun  remained  ; 
and  as  the  fire  poured  forth  through  roof  and  door  and  walls, 
the  discomfited  Sircies  ran  hither  and  thither,  vainly  seeking 
for  that  prey  whose  capture,  but  a  few  moments  before,  they 
had  counted  upon  as  assured. 

Far  down  the  river  by  this  time  we  stood  on  the  raft, 
spectators  of  this  strange  scene.  The  leading  raft,  a  few  yards 
ahead,  also  held  its  course  undisturbed ;  and  as  now  the 
towering  flame  shot  up  high  above  the  pine  clump,  and  cast 
its  reflection  on  the  steep  bordering  ridges,  every  point  of 
which  was  so  well  known  to  us,  I  knelt  upon  the  moving 
raft,  and  thanked  God  for  an  escape  from  a  terrible  situa- 
tion which  but  a  short  time  before  had  seemed  hopeless 
enough. 

Gamely  the  horses  held  their  way  down  the  river  in  the 
wake  of  the  last  raft.  Every  now  and  again  the  Sioux  spoke 
some  well-known  Indian  word  to  them.  Both  horses  had 
been  so  fully  accustomed  to  obey  a  single  word  of  command 
from  their  masters  that  the  instinct  had  reached  that  stage 
when  it  becomes  the  highest  form  of  discipline — perfect 
obedience. 

The  rafts  reached  the  end  of  the  long  river-reach  that 
lay  below  the   Forks.      Another  minute,   and  the  bend 


On  sJtore  again.  225 


of  the  river  would  hide  from  our  eyes  the  last  glimpse  of 
flaming  hut  and  surrounding  hill.  There  was  a  strong 
temptation  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  men  on  board  the 
first  raft  to  fire  back  a  parting  salute  of  defiance  and 
triumph ;  but  it  was  wiser  to  give  the  Sircies  no  token  or 
trace  of  their  flight.  Doubtless  the  daylight  would  reveal 
the  track  which  we  had  taken,  by  showing  the  footprints  in  ' 
the  soft  mud  of  the  shore  where  the  rafts  had  touched  ;  but 
by  that  time  many  miles  would  intervene  between  us  and 
our  foes,  and  all  chance  of  pursuit  would  be  impossible  for 
the  present.  So  round  the  curve  the  rafts  ran  swiftly,  and 
then  nothing  was  visible  but  the  river,  showing  grey  under 
the  sky,  and  the  dark  outline  of  the  wooded  shores  on 
either  side. 

After  half  an  hour's  work,  Red  Cloud  hailed  the  leading 
raft  to  carry  on  until  mid-day,  and  then  to  put  in  to  the 
south  side  of  the  river ;  to  make  camp  by  the  shore,  and  to 
send  the  scout  up  to  the  high  ground  where  the  more  open 
country  began,  to  watch  for  our  approach  by  land. 

The  horses  had  had  quite  enough  of  the  water.  We 
would  put  to  shore,  select  a  good  landing-place,  and  leav- 
ing the  raft,  follow  the  upper  bank  of  the  river  for  the 
remainder  of  the  journey. 

The  two  rafts  now  separated,  and  were  finally  lost  to 
each  other. 

Cautiously  drawing  near  the  south  side,  the  horses  soon 

Q 


225  Red  Cloud. 


found  their  feet  upon  a  bank,  which  in  the  summer  would 
have  been  dry  ground.  The  shore  was  but  ten  yards  beyond ; 
it  shelved  up  in  an  easy  ascent  from  the  water.  We  pushed 
in  until  the  end  of  the  raft  grounded,  then  we  stepped  hito 
the  water  and  led  our  dripping  and  tired  horses  on  to  dry 
earth. 

We  had  taken  with  us  from  the  hut  only  saddles,  arms, 
and  ammunition,  and  some  pemmican,  and  tea,  and  axes ; 
these  were  soon  brought  on  shore,  then  moving  further  into 
the  wood,  we  made  a  fire.  The  horses  stood  close  to  the 
flame,  which  soon  dried  ther  dripping  flanks.  Here  we 
passed  half  an  hour ;  the  morning  air  was  very  cold,  and  it 
was  pleasant  to  sit  before  the  genial  warmth  of  the  fire. 
Often  we  spoke  of  the  past  escape,  and  often  our  conversa- 
tion wandered  on  to  the  future,  with  its  plans  and  outlooks. 

As  the  daylight  began  to  show  objects  distinctly  we  set 
out,  leading  our  horses  by  the  bridles  through  the  tangled 
maze  of  thicket,  up  the  steep  ridge  that  rose  directly  from 
the  river  bank. 

The  summit  gained,  the  course  lay  to  the  east,  along  the 
edge  of  woods  that  here  filled  the  space  between  the 
prairies  and  the  water.  •  But  now  the  horses  carried  their 
owners,  and  right  glad  were  we  to  feel  ourselves  once  more 
in  the  saddle,  free  to  steer  where  we  pleased  over  the  open 
plains.  Right  glad  too  seemed  the  horses  to  find  them- 
selves on  firm  ground. 


Winter  gone.  227 


The  snow  yet  lingered  in  hollow  places,  but  the  prairie 
was  clear  and  dry.  The  grass  of  last  year  lay  in  yellow  tufts 
around ;  the  leafless  trees  and  bushes  looked  bright  in  the 
early  sun ;  and  the  earth  smelt  fresh  and  pure  as  it  once 
more  gave  ibrth  its  odours  to  the  air.  The  long  winter  at 
last  was  sone. 


Q  « 


228  Red  Cloud. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Horses  wanted — New  plans — We  start  south — The  prairie  in 
Spring — No  buffalo  in  sight — Starvation — A  last  resort — 
Buffalo  at  last — We  fall  in  with  Blood  Indians — The  camp — 
Tashota — A  trade — Rumours  of  war — We  depart  from  the 
Blood  camp. 

Riding  quietly  along  the  edge  of  the  open  ground  for 
many  hours,  we  drew  in  sight  of  the  spot  where  the  first 
raft  had  stopped  at  mid -day. 

The  camp  had  been  made  in  the  low  ground  near  the 
river,  and  the  Iroquois  was  at  his  post  on  the  upper  level, 
alert  and  watchful. 

By  evening  our  little  band  was  again  united  together,  and 
a  substantial  meal  was  laid  out,  at  which  we  all  joined,  with 
appetites  not  the  less  keen  because  of  the  exertions  and 
anxieties  of  the  past  twenty-four  hours.  A  long  council 
followed  the  meal. 

It  was  necessary  to  decide  upon  a  course  which  should 
embrace  in  its  plans  the  next  six  months  of  the  summer 
season. 

The  latest  acquisition  to  the  strength  of  the  party — the 


Horses  wanted.  229 


Iroquois — had  declared  his  wish  to  share  the  fortunes  of  our 
band  for  some  months.  To  this  no  one  objected.  Indeed, 
it  might  have  been  said  that  all  owed  to  him  their  safety. 
Had  it  not  been  for  his  timely  warning,  it  was  impossible 
to  say  what  fate  might  not  have  befallen  us,  unsuspicious  as 
we  had  been  of  attack  or  molestation. 

We  therefore  numbered  four  on  the  raft,  and  two  horse- 
men. Now  in  the  season  which  was  beginning  horses 
would  be  a  necessity  of  life  on  the  plains ;  therefore  the 
first  and  most  pressing  want  was  a  horse  for  each  of  the 
dismounted  men. 

Another  necessity  was  the  safe  stowing  away  of  the 
surplus  goods  which  we  possessed.  These  could  not  be 
carried  without  seriously  retarding  the  freedom  of  move- 
ment across  the  prairie.  It  was  therefore  decided  that  the 
stock  should  be  placed  in  cache  some  four  days'  journey 
further  down  the  stream,  and  that  at  the  point  where  they 
would  be  stored  the  four  men  would  wait  in  camp  the 
arrival  of  the  other  two,  whose  duty  it  would  be  to  go  in 
search  of  horses  for  the  complete  equipment  of  the  whole 
band. 

After  every  man  had  in  his  possession  a  horse,  then  it 
would  be  time  to  form  plans  for  future  action. 

But  it  was  one  thing  to  say  that  each  man  should  possess 
a  horse,  and  quite  another  thing  to  provide  the  required 
number.     True,  horses  could  be  obtained  from  many  bands 


230  Red  Cloud. 


of  Indians  by  barter ;  but  to  hit  off  the  whereabouts  of  a 
band  on  the  open  plains  was  no  easy  matter. 

Out  of  many  courses  open  to  him  the  Sioux  determined 
upon  one.  He  would  start  with  me  on  the»following  morn- 
ing, and  directing  his  course  due  south  would  seek  for  buffalo 
in  the  great  prairie.  Once  with  the  herds,  he  need  have  no 
further  difficulty  on  the  score  of  food.  They  might  then 
wander  on  as  the  buffalo  moved,  keeping  the  great  herd  in 
sight ;  by  this  means  they  would  be  certain  to  fall  in  with 
Indians  out  upon  their  spring  hunting  expeditions.  From 
some  of  these  bands  horses  could  readily  be  exchanged  for 
some  articles  of  arms,  which  we  could  easily  carry  on  the 
horses  in  addition  to  our  own  weapons. 

So  far  went  the  plan. 

It  was  computed  that  in  three  days  we  should  fall  in  with 
buffalo,  that  a  week  more  might  elapse  ere  Indians  were 
met  with,  and  that  perhaps  a  month  might  altogether 
intervene  ere  we  would  be  back  again  at  the  point  agreed 
upon  for  the  cache. 

All  these  matters  having  been  talked  over  and  arranged, 
preparations  for  the  journey  were  next  undertaken. 

A  couple  of  revolvers  and  an  American  repeating  rifle, 
together  with  a  it^  other  items — all  of  which  had  originally 
formed  a  portion  of  the  trader's  cargo — were  taken  from  the 
raft  and  packed  between  the  two  horses.  Blankets,  a  kettle, 
two  tin  cups,  two   axes,  extra  flints  and  steels,  provisions 


We  start  south,  23 1 


to  last  four  days — all  the  requisites,  in  fact,  for  prairie  travel 
— were  packed  in  bundles  easily  attached  to  the  saddles, 
and  everything  made  ready  for  a  start  at  daybreak  the 
following  morning. 

These  preparations,  together  with  the  arrangements  to  be 
made  by  the  party  at  the  cache,  occupied  the  remainder  of 
the  afternoon,  and  soon  after  dark  we  all  lay  down  to  sleep 
— the  sleep  to  which  our  long-borne  exertions  had  so  well 
entitled  us. 

The  dawn  of  a  very  fair  spring  morning  saw  Red  Cloud 
and  myself  on  the  move ;  nor  had  its  light  long  to  shine 
ere  the  raft  was  bearing  the  other  four  down  the  swift 
current  of  the  Red  Deer  river. 

From  the  edge  of  the'  ridge  where  wood  and  plain  met, 
we  looked  back  to  the  river  bank  to  catch  a  last  glimpse  of 
our  friends.  The  raft  was  well  in  the  centre  of  the  stream 
going  merrily  along.  The  keen  eyes  of  its  occupants  caught 
quick  sight  of  the  horsemen  on  the  sky-line  above  them ; 
there  was  a  wave  of  hands,  a  faint  shout  of  farewell,  and  then 
the  frail  link  of  sight  was  broken. 

All  day  we  held  our  southern  way  at  an  easy  pace. 

The  horses  were  all  too  unused  to  work,  to  allow  of  more 
than  a  walk  or  trot  being  used  ;  but  the  calculations  of  time 
had  been  based  upon  easy  going,  and  there  was  no  neces- 
sity for  rapid  movement. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  general  character  of  the 


232  Red  Cloud. 


prairie  through  which  we  travelled.  Here  and  there  small 
copsewood  studded  the  face  of  the  great  expanse  of  rolling 
grass-land ;  at  times,  the  sheen  of  a  blue  lakelet  caught  the 
eye  ;  and  as  the  morning  sun  flashed  over  the  scene,  strange 
glimpses  of  hill-top,  rock,  and  large  trees  were  visible 
on  the  far-away  horizon — those  tricks  of  mirage  which 
so  frequently  deceive  the  sight  ot  the  traveller  while 
the  morning  and  evening  beams  are  slanting  along  the 
wilderness. 

Pleasant  is  this  every-day  life  of  travel  over  these  great 
northern  prairres,  when  the  spring  has  come  up  from  his 
southern  home,  bringing  all  his  wealth  of  bird  and  bud  to 
deck  his  roadway  to  the  Polar  Sea. 

How  fresh  are  the  cotton-wood  thickets  where  the  paired 
partridges  nestle,  and  roll  in  the  dry  scented  leaves  of  last 
year's  autumn  !  How  sweet  are  the  early  flowers  that  seem 
to  burst  all  at  once  from  the  yellow  grass,  specking  the 
knolls  with  pale  blue  buds,  that  open  to  look  at  the  mid- 
day sun  as  he  passes  overhead,  and  then  close  again  as  the 
evening  chills' creep  over  the  scene! 

Over  the  ridge -line  to  the  south,  long  V-shaped  lines  of 
wild  geese  come  sailing  on  their  northern  way,  some  trail- 
ing behind  as  though  they  fain  would  cry  halt  along  the 
margins  of  many  of  these  soft  and  quiet  lakes,  whose  blue 
waters  spread  invitingly  below  them  ;  but  inexorable  instinct 
bids  them  follow  on  behind  the  wide  arms  of  the  moving 


The  prairie  in  Spring.  233 

wedge-shape  column,  into  regions  where  yet  the  spring  is  a 
laggard,  but  in  which  man  is  a  total  stranger. 

Yes,  it  is  pleasant  work  that  daily  routine  of  prairie  travel 
— work  that  brings  to  the  heart  of  man  as  much  of  the 
simple  satisfaction  that  exists  in  breathing,  seeing,  living,  as 
can  perhaps  be  found  the  whole  earth  over. 

Over  such  a  scene  we  now  held  our  way,  and  evening 
found  us  camped  by  a  tiny  lake  many  miles  from  the  start- 
ing-point. 

The  next  day  and  the  next  day  beheld  us  still  holding 
south.  But  a  change  had  gradually  crept  over  the  land- 
scape. The  thickets  had  become  few,  the  lakelets  scarce. 
Long  stretches  of  unbroken  plain  lay  before  us,  and,  rolling 
away  to  east  and  west,  the  same  treeless  and  yellow  grassy 
hills  spread  out  to  the  farthest  verge  of  vision. 

But  there  were  no  buffalo  to  be  seen.  Far  and  near  the 
eye  of  the  Sioux  scanned  in  vain  for  a  trace  of  those  dark 
specks  so  welcome  to  the  hunter's  sight — those  moving 
specks,  so  infinitely  small  on  the  horizon,  so  impressive  in 
the  nearer  distance,  that  tell  him  the  great  herds  are  at 
hand. 

The  fourth  day  had  arrived,  the  last  day  for  which  food 
had  been  brought.  More  than  iqo  miles  had  been  travelled, 
and  yet  not  one  trace  of  buffalo  was  visible  on  any  side. 
From  the  evening  camp  that  day  we  made  a  long  survey  of 
the  plains.     A  ridge  higher  than  its  neighbours  gave  us  a 


234  R^d  Cloud. 


far  extending  view  over  the  prairies,  and  as  we  stood  upon 
its  summit  while  the  sun  was  nearing  the  western  horizon, 
vast  indeed  was  the  scene  that  lay  within  the  compass  of  a 
single  glance.  If  ever  the  mere  fact  of  space  can  be 
thoroughly  realized  by  man  on  earth,  instantly  embodied  as 
it  were  in  a  single  sweep  of  vision,  brought  home  to  the 
mind  by  the  simple  process  of  sight,  it  is  when  the  eye 
sweeps  over  such  a  scene  as  this  upon  which  we  now  looked. 
Not  a  cloud  obscured  it ;  no  mist  arose  from  stream  or  river  ; 
no  blur  of  smoke  crossed  its  immense  depth.  To  the  west, 
all  was  brilliant  colour ;  to  the  east,  the  pale  tints  of  the 
coming  night  were  faintly  visible  above  the  horizon. 

A  grand  sight  surely  !  but  one,  nevertheless,  upon  which 
we  now  looked  with  a  keen  sense  of  disappointment ;  for  all 
this  scene  of  lonely  distance  held  in  its  vast  area  no  hope 
of  food. 

Still  the  Sioux  was  determined  to  hold  his  course  further 
out  into  the  waste. 

"  For  two  days  more,"  he  said,  as  we  finished  the  last  bit 
of  pemmican  in  a  hollow  beneath  the  hill  from  which  our 
survey  had  been  made — '*  for  two  days  we  will  journey  on 
to  the  south." 

"  And  then,"  I  inquired,  *'  if  we  should  not  fall  in  with 
buffalo  what  will  you  do? " 

'•  And  then,"  said  the  Sioux,  '*  I  will  show  you  how  we 
still  can  live  and  still  can  travel." 


No  buffalo  in  sight.  235 

Next  morning  we  were  off  at  daybreak,  and  all  the  long  day 
through  a  steady  pace  was  maintained  to  the  south.  Even- 
ing fell — morning  dawned — and  yet  no  food  or  sign  of  food 
appeared.  The  bird-life  of  the  park-like  prairie  that  lay  to 
the  north  had  wholly  vanished.  The  lakelets  lay  at  long 
intervals  apart.     Trace  of  buffalo  there  was  none. 

Still  the  Sioux  kept  his  course  unchanged,  and  so  confi- 
dently had  he  spoken  of  the  certainty  of  finding  food  that 
evening,  that  I  never  doubted  for  an  instant  that  all  would 
yet  be  well. 

Each  ridge  that  lay  before  us  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  one 
that  would  bring  to  view  the  much  desired  game ;  but  as 
ridge  after  ridge  was  passed  and  yet  no  sign  of  life  became 
visible,  I  often  bent  my  gaze  to  the  west  in  order  to  measure 
the  moments  of  daylight  yet  remaining. 

At  last,  from  one  of  those  innumerable  eminences  that 
dot  the  surface  of  the  prairie  the  Sioux  drew  rein  and  dis- 
mounted. All  was  unchanged.  The  vast  circle  of  sky-line 
held  no  living  "creature  in  its  embrace,  Close  by  there  lay 
a  small  sheet  of  water,  and  by  its  margin  we  two  hungry 
men,  unsaddled  for  the  night. 

But  this  time  the  Sioux  did  not  perform  the  usual  process 
of  hobbling  and  turning  adrift  his  horse. 

"  I  promised  you  that  you  should  have  food  to-night,"  he 
said  to  me,  "  and  now  you  shall  see  how  it  is  to  be  done." 

So  saying,  he  drew  from  his  leather  coat  a  small  pocket- 


236  Red  Cloud. 


knife,  and  took  from  the  pack  of  his  saddle  a  tin  cup  holding 
about  a  pint.  Then  he  passed  the  laret  with  a  running 
noose  round  his  horse's  neck,  drawing  it  tight  as  he  did  so. 
He  then  spoke  a  few  words  of  encouragement  to  the  horse, 
and  the  faithful  animal  answered  by  turning  his  head  and 
rubbing  his  nostrils  against  his  master's  arm. 

Watching  these  proceedings  with  great  interest,  I  saw  to 
my  astonishment  the  Sioux  open  a  vein  in  the  horse's  neck, 
and  begin  to  draw  from  it  a  thin  stream  of  blood.  The  horse 
never  winced  at  the  puncture,  nor  indeed  did  he  appear  to 
be  aware  of  what  was  going  on.  In  a  few  minutes  the  little 
vessel  was  quite  full ;  the  cord  was  slackened,  and  the  drain 
ceased. 

Approaching  the  small  fire  of  old  buffalo  chips  and  small 
sage  stalks,  which  had  just  been  lighted,  the  Sioux  placed  the 
vessel  of  blood  upon  the  flame.  Into  it  he  crushed  a  few 
leaves  of  the  wild  sage  which  grew  so  profusely  around. 
When  the  mixture  had  simmered  for  some  minutes,  he 
handed  the  cup  to  me.  It  did  not  look  an  inviting  repast ; 
but  hunger  borne  for  two  days  will  make  palatable  most  o 
the  dishes  that  it  is  possible  to  put  before  a  man. 

The  feeling  that  gnawed  my  stomach  was  something  more 
than  mere  hunger,  and  urged  by  its  raging  pangs  I  took  with 
eagerness  what  would  otherwise  have  been  to  me  a  nauseous 
compound.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  it  really  was  palat- 
able, and  what  was  still  more  important,  it  was  nourishing 


Starvation — A  last  resort.  237 

and  sustaining.  While  half  of  the  contents  of  the  tin  yet 
remained,  I  handed  it  to  the  Indian,  and  our  supper  was 
soon  over. 

Strange  shifts  are  those  the  red  man  learns  in  order  to 
sustain  his  life  amid  the  perils  of  the  wilderness.  Many  of 
these  shifts  I  had  been  taught  in  the  past  year,  but  none  so 
strange  as  this  one. 

"  See,"  said  the  Sioux,  when  the  scanty  meal  was  finished, 
"  the  white  man  would  have  killed  his  horse  when  hunger 
had  come  upon  him  ;  he  would  have  lived  for  three  days,  or 
four,  and  then  he  would  have  died.  On  these  two  horses 
we  can  live,  if  necessary,  for  many  days,  and  they  will  still 
carry  us  along  our  way." 

At  dawn  next  morning  we  were  astir. 

The  Sioux  ascended  the  hill  at  once.  I  remained  in  the 
camp.  It  was  yet  indistinct  light,  and  the  eye  failed  for  a 
time  to  reach  even  midway  across  the  vast  field  of  vision 
that  lay  around.  But  at  length  the  reddening  eastern  sky 
cast  its  reflection  deeper  into  the  west,  and  pierced  the 
prairie  in  every  direction.  Suddenly  the  Sioux  waved  his 
hand,  and  shouted  a  wild  whoop  of  triumph  !  The  buffalo 
were  in  sight ! 

Far  off  and  faint,  dwarfed  down  by  distance  to  mere  dark 
specks,  they  dotted  the  horizon  to  the  south-west,  and 
spread  nearer  into  the  scene  in  atoms  that  were  ever  growing 
more  distinct. 


238  Red  Cloud. 


I  was  quickly  at  his  side.  Well  indeed  might  the  Indian 
have  called  his  war-note.  The  sight  would  have  been  one 
to  call  forth  no  scant  measure  of  enthusiasm,  even  had  it 
been  looked  upon  by  men  whose  minds  had  not  been  strung 
by  hunger  to  most  anxious  intensity,  for  in  itself  it  was  a 
glorious  prospect. 

Upon  this  vast  silent  plain  had  come,  during  the  dark 
hours,  a  mighty  invasion.  The  frontier  of  the  horizon  had 
been  passed ;  the  columns  had  spread  out  like  some  great 
fan-shaped  cloud,  and  where  the  evening  sun  had  gone  down 
over  a  landscape  lonely  and  untenanted,  the  glory  of  the 
morning  beams  had  come  flushing  up  upon  the  myriad 
surges  of  that  wild  animal  life  which,  in  size,  majesty,  and 
numbers,  stands  all  unequalled  over  the  earth. 

" How  far  are  they  away?"  I  asked,  after  I  had  for  some 
moments  gazed  upon  this  grand  scene. 

"  Three  hours'  riding  will  take  us  to  the  foremost  bulls," 
answered  the  Indian,  "  The  cows  are  a  day  or  two  farther 
off;  but  we  cannot  afford  to  pick  our  animals.  We  must  take 
the  first  that  comes." 

Descending  the  ridge  we  were  soon  in  movement  towards 
the  sky-line  of  the  south-west. 

Towards  mid-day  the  leading  files  of  the  herd  were  close 
at  hand. 

The  ground  was  broken  into  many  ridges,  having  between 
them  valleys  that  afforded  perfect  facilities  for  approach. 


Buffalo  at  last.  239 


It  was  not  long,  therefore,  ere  a  shot  from  the  rifle  of  the 
Sioux  had  brought  do\vn  a  young  bull,  near  whose  prostrate 
body  our  camp  was  at  once  made,  and  hunger  fully  satis- 
fied— the  tongue  and  some  of  the  marrow  bones  being 
quickly  put  to  roast  over  a  fire  made  of  sage  sticks  and  dry 
grass. 

The  plan  now  formed  by  Red  Cloud  was  to  keep  along 
the  outskirts  of  the  main  body  of  the  advancing  column, 
which  he  judged  to  be  many  miles  in  length. 

It  was  not,  he  thought,  necessary  to  proceed  much  farther 
on  our  present  course,  as  the  Indians  with  whom  he  hoped 
to  fall  in,  would  be  sure  to  follow  the  movements  of  the 
buffalo,  and  to  have  their  camp  one  day  or  so  behind  the 
main  body. 

In  this  his  surmises  were  perfectly  correct.  The  next  day 
saw  the  herd  moving  steadily  towards  the  north-east ;  but 
it  also  brought  a  body  of  Indians  into  sight,  whose  quick 
eyes  were  not  slow  to  detect  the  presence  of  strangers  in  the 
vicinity. 

Having  scouted  for  a  time  along  ridges  that  commanded 
a  view  of  our  camp,  a  body  of  six  braves,  satisfied  with  their 
observations,  came  riding  up  at  a  gallop.  They  proved  to 
belong  to  a  branch  of  the  Blood  Indians,  the  main  body  of 
which  tribe  was  now  "  pitching  "  two  days  farther  south, 
near  the  range  of  wooded  hills  known  as  the  Cypress 
Mountains. 


240  Red  Cloud. 


The  buffalo,  they  said,  had  only  recently  passed  the 
American  boundary-line;  and  there  had  been  some  con- 
flicts between  Indian  bands  which  had  followed  them  over 
British  territory,  and  the  people  of  their  own  (the  Blood) 
tribe. 

Their  cousins  and  allies,  the  Peaginoos,  Blackfeet,  and 
Sircies,  were  away  to  the  west  and  north ;  but  doubtless  they 
would  all  soon  draw  near  the  buffalo,  when  they  heard  the 
news  that  they  had  reached  "  the  great  prairie." 

These  were  not  altogether  cheering  tidings  for  us. 
The  presence  of  the  Sircies  would  undoubtedly  lead  to 
hostilities  ;  and  although  there  existed  no  actual  cause  of 
quarrel  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Blackfeet  or  their  kindred 
tribes,  still  their  known  hostility  to  almost  all  other  races  of 
red  men  around  the  wide  circle  of  their  boundaries,  made 
it  more  than  likely  they  would  not  hesitate  to  attack  a 
solitary  wanderer  in  their  midst. 

To  the  inquiry  of  the  Sioux  as  to  their  having  horses  to 
barter,  they  replied  that  there  were  many  horses  with  their 
tribe  ;  and  that  if  the  Sioux  and  the  white  man  would  visit 
the  camp,  they  had  little  doubt  but  that  a  trade  could  be 
readily  entered  upon. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  visit  would  be  paid,  and  then 
the  braves  rode  away  in  the  direction  from  which  they  had 
come. 

The  object  which  the  Sioux  had  hoped  to  attain  was  to  pro- 


The  camp  of  the  Blood  Indiatts.  241 

cure  the  horses  he  stood  in  need  of  before  any  of  the  kindred 
tribes  already  mentioned  had  joined  the  Bloods, 

Once  in  possession  of  half-a-dozen  horses,  and  with  one 
day's  start,  he  would  defy  the  united  efforts  of  all  the  Sircies, 
Blackfeet,  and  Peaginoos  to  overtake  him ;  but  our  position 
he  well  knew  would  be  most  hazardous  if  one  or  all  of  these 
bands  should  arrive  ere  his  trade  was  concluded. 

Early  next  morning,  accordingly,  we  moved  in  the  trail  of 
the  six  Blood  Indians,  and  by  evening  drew  near  the  camp 
of  the  main  body  at  the  base  of  the  Cypress  hills. 

The  lodges  were  pitched  along  a  level  piece  of  ground 
a  short  distance  away  from  a  stream,  which  had  its  source 
in  the  neighbouring  hills.  The  banks  of  this  stream  held 
growth  of  poplar,  and  bastard  maple,  and  willow,  which  kept 
the  camp  in  fuel,  and  yielded  materials  for  the  work  of  hide 
stretching  and  pemmican  making— all  which  operations  were 
in  full  swing  in  front  of  the  lodges. 

The  arrival  of  the  strangers  was  the  signal  for  the  coming 
forth  of  many  braves ;  but  etiquette  did  not  permit  the 
chief  to  come  out  from  his  lodge  until  the  visit  of  ceremony 
had  been  duly  paid  to  him  by  the  strangers. 

As  we  entered  the  camp  we  shook  hands  with  the  warriors 
and  men  of  lesser  note,  who  stood  around  on  every  side. 

Finally  dismounting  near  the  chief's  lodge,  and  beckoning 
me  to  follow  him,  Red  Cloud  passed  in  beneath  the  low 
opening,  and  shaking  hands  with  the  chief,  sat  down  on  a 

R 


242 


Red  Cloud. 


buffalo  robe  at  the  farther  side  of  the  fire  which  smouldered 
in  the  centre. 

The  chief  Tashota,  or  the  Left-handed,  was  a  tall  and 
powerful-looking  man,  just  past  the  prime  of  life.  He  sat 
reclining  on  his  robe,  looking  straight  into  the  fire  before 
him,  and  blowing  slow  puffs  from  a  calumet  of  green  pipe- 
stone,  curiously  carved  into  the  body  and  head  of  a  bird. 
I  also  -hook  hands,  and  then  seated  myself  in  silence. 

A  minute  or  two  passed,  and  Tashota,  taking  his  pipe 
from  his  lips,  spoke. 

"  Have  my  friends  come  far  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Seven  days  have  passed  since  we  left  the  Red 
Deer  river." 

Then  followed  questions  at  slow  intervals  on  most  of  the 
subjects  of  interest  in  prairie  land — the  game,  the  news  of 
war,  the  movements  of  tribes,  the  doings  of  the  white  traders ; 
but  all  semblance  of  curiosity  on  the  part  of  the  chief 
to  know  the  objects  of  the  present  visit  was  carefully  avoided, 
and  that  eagerness  which,  in  civilization,  is  so  prone  to  go 
at  once  "  to  the  point "  was  nowhere  observable. 

Nor  was  the  Sioux,  anxious  though  he  felt  on  the  score  of 
time,  over  hasty  to  develope  his  object.  Of  course  he  said 
nothing  about  the  party  left  at  the  cache.  He  merely  ac- 
counted for  his  presence  in  that  part  of  the  country  by  his 
desire  to  fall  in  with  buftalo  after  the  winter  ;  and  while 
expressing  his    willingness  to  become  the  purchaser  of  a 


A  trade  with  the  chiefs  Tashota.  243 

few  horses,  he  also  adroitly  touched  upon  the  chances  of  the 
other  tribes  shortly  expected  to  arrive,  being  possessed  of 
many  superfluous  animals  which  they  would  be  eager  to 
dispose  of. 

This  was  a  clever  bit  of  trade  tactics.  Tashota  was  not 
anxious  to  see  a  customer  go  even  to  his  cousins ;  so  after 
a  time  he  asked  what  kind  of  animals  the  Sioux  might 
require,  and  what  he  had  to  offer  in  exchange  for  them  ? 

He  wanted  five  or  six  animals  -of  average  size  and 
speed.  He  had  only  a  few  weapons  to  offer  in  exchange ; 
but  they  were  good  ones.  He  would  show  them  to  the 
chief. 

Whereupon  he  took  out  a  short  but  very  handy  American 
repeating  rifle,  carrying  in  its  magazine  fourteen  cartridges, 
which,  by  a  simple  action  of  the  trigger-bar,  were  passed 
one  by  one  into  the  barrel,  and  fired  in  succession  with 
great  rapidity  ;  and  he  also  laid  on  the  ground  a  bag  of 
cartridges  and  three  revolver  pistols. 

The  eyes  of  Tashota  glistened  as  they  looked  at  these 
weapons,  and  in  his  mind  he  resolved  that  they  should  be 
his. 

Calling  in  one  of  his  braves  he  ordered  his  band  of 
horses  to  be  driven  in.  Meantime  his  wife  had  been  busily 
engaged  in  preparing  dinner  for  us  strangers.  A  plentiful 
supply  of  the  best  bits  of  the  buffalo  were  put  to  boil  over 
the  replenished  fire,  and  a  meal  was  soon  ready,  to  which 

R    2 


244  ^^^  Cloud. 


the  memory  of  the  long  fast  so  recently  endured  caused 
ample  justice  to  be  done. 

A  lodge  had  been  pitched  for  us,  and  when  dinner  was 
over  we  withdrew  to  it  for  the  night,  to  await  the  arrival 
of  the  horses  on  the  following  morning. 

But  Red  Cloud  well  knew  that  our  position  was  anything 
but  secure;  there  were  other  dangers  threatening  him 
besides  those  that  lay  in  the  expected  arrival  of  the  Black- 
feet  or  of  the  Sircies.  He  reckoned  that  at  least  a  week 
must  elapse  ere  that  portion  of  the  Sircies  which  had 
attacked  the  hut  at  the  Forks  could  reach  the  Cypress 
hills  ;  so  far  as  they  were  concerned  he  was  safe.  But  the 
stray  rumours  he  had  caught  of  war  between  the  Ogahalla 
branch  of  his  own  race  and  the  Bloods  were  ominous  of 
trouble  to  him. 

If  the  Bloods  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  his  race,  they 
would  not  hesitate  to  revenge  their  injuries  or  their  losses 
upon  him.  One  thing  was  certain,  and  that  was  that 
the  sooner  he  got  away  from  his  present  position  the 
better. 

These  thoughts  gave  him  ample  material  for  reflection 
during  the  night.  Early  next  morning  the  horses  had  been 
driven  in,  and  word  came  to  the  hut  where  we  were  lodged 
that  Tashota  was  ready  to  do  a  trade. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Sioux  had  selected  five  horses 
from  the  band.     The  terms  of  barter  were  quickly  settled, 


We  depart  from  the  Blood  camp.  245 

and  the  chosen  horses  having  been  caught,  were  duly  handed 
over  to  their  new  owner,  whose  rifles,  revolvers,  and  ammuni- 
tion passed  over  to  the  Blood  chief. 

By  this  time  it  was  midday.  The  camp  was  quiet,  but 
the  mind  of  the  Sioux  was  not  easy.  Things  seemed  to  him 
to  have  run  too  smoothly  in  their  exchange.  His  quick  eye 
had  detected  what  he  considered  to  be  faint  indications  of  an 
intention  to  take  back,  if  possible,  the  horses  now  bartered. 
In  the  camp  he  knew  he  was  safe ;  the  laws  of  hospitality 
forbade  a  guest,  once  received,  being  ill-treated  ;  but  once 
outside  the  last  lodge  he  would  have  all  his  tact  and  watch- 
fulness put  to  the  test — so  at  least  he  surmised,  and  we  shall 
soon  see  how  true  were  his  fears. 

It  was  necessary  for  him,  however,  to  hide  completely  from 
our  hosts  all  tokens  of  suspicion.  If  our  escape  was  to  be 
effected  it  must  be  done  soon,  and  before  the  Bloods  could 
have  taken  steps  to  secure  our  capture.  He  determined, 
however,  to  make  no  secret  of  his  intention  to  depart,  judging 
truly  that  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  got  away 
unnoticed,  and  that  it  was  better  to  maintain  a  show  of 
confidence  in  the  good  faith  and  loyalty  of  the  Bloods 
until  the  moment  of  any  hostile  act  of  theirs  had  actually 
arrived. 

His  plan  was  to  leave  the  camp  two  hours  before  night- 
fall, so  that  our  movements  might  be  fully  visible  to  the 
Bloods,  and  that  they  might  see  the  direction  we  had  chosen 


246  Red  Cloud. 


to  take  ;  for  the  rest,  his  real  intention  would  be  developed 
only  when  night  had  faH,en. 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  we 
directed  our  steps  to  the  lodge  of  Tashota.  The  chief  was 
alone ;  not  a  movement  of  eye  or  feature  betrayed  that  he 
meant  mischief  to  the  person  or  property  of  his  visitors. 
Yet  all  the  while  a  deep-laid  plot  had  been  arranged,  to  rob, 
and  if  necessary  to  kill,  the  Sioux  after  he  had  quitted  the 
camp. 

"  I  am  starting  this  evening,"  said  the  Sioux  as  he  seated 
himself  at  the  fire.  "  I  am  going  north  to  the  posts  of  the 
white  traders,  and  the  journey  is  long.  I  have  come  to  bid 
my  brother  farewell." 

The  chief  nodded,  and  Red  Cloud  continued  :  "  I  have 
heard  rumours  of  war  between  the  Ogahalla  Sioux  and  your 
people.  For  myself,  I  raise  my  hand  against  no  red  man ; 
the  quarrel  of  the  Ogahallas  is  their  own." 

The  chief  still  kept  silence. 

Red  Cloud  arose,  and  held  out  his  hand  across  the  fire ; 
the  Blood  shook  it.  Then  the  Sioux  lifted  the  door-curtain 
of  the  lodge,  and  we  passed  out  into  the  open. 

Ten  minutes  later  we  two  men,  with  seven  horses,  rode 
slowly  from  the  camp. 


Ten  minutes  later  we  rode  slowly  from  the 


camp. 


247 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

On  the  trail — A  pursuit— The  mark  is  overshot — A  night 
march — Morning — The  curtain  rises — We  are  prisoners — 
Blackfcet — Penoguam — The  Far-OffDawn — Hishistory — His 
medicine-robe — Interrogations — New  arrivals — The  trader 
again. 

Well  watched  by  sharp  and  restless  eyes  were  we  that 
evening  as  our  figures  grew  fainter  in  the  grey  of  the  prairie. 

Tashota  had  already  laid  his  plans  ;  and  although  no 
overt  act  had  yet  been  taken,  everything  was  ready  to  ensure 
a  rapid  pursuit  when  the  proper  moment  had  arrived. 

Two  hours  passed,  and  darkness  began  to  close  over  the 
plains.  Then  over  both  sides — the  travellers  and  the  camp 
— a  marvellous  change  suddenly  passed. 

It  is  true  that,  long  before  darkness  had  begun,  prepara- 
tions must  have  been  rife  within  the  camp;  and  horses  ready 
for  a  foray,  and  braves  busy  getting  arms  and  ammunition 
together,  must  have  been  visible  on  all  sides.  The  red  man 
is  ever  more  or  less  equipped  for  war,  and  it  takes  little  time 
for  twenty  men  to  be  in  all  respects  ready  for  a  week's  raid. 

As  the  sun  went  down,  each  man  of  the  war-party  stood 


248  Red  Cloud. 


ready  by  the  lodges  for  the  signal  to  pursue,  and  many 
anxious  eyes  doubtless  followed  us  and  our  band  of  led 
horses,  grudging  every  step  that  daylight  permitted  us  to 
take  farther  on  our  way. 

But  darkness  was  not  thus  descending  upon  us  to  find  us 
wrapt  in  a  false  sense  of  security.  Scarcely  had  the  camp 
been  left  behind,  ere  the  Sioux  imparted  to  me  all  his 
forebodings  of  evil  and  his  plans  for  averting  it. 

"  When  night  has  come,"  he  said,  "  these  men  will  pursue 
us.  If  they  fail  to  overtake  us  to-night,  they  will  continue 
on  our  trail  day  after  day.  It  is  impossible  we  can  escape 
them  by  fair  riding,  encumbered  as  we  are  with  these  horses. 
They  will,  in  the  long-run  be  certain  to  outpace  us. 

"  At  the  same  time  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  leave  the 
direction  we  are  now  following  and  to  strike  on  a  new  line 
home.  We  have  not  food  sufficient  to  last  us  six  days,  and 
we  could  not  draw  upon  our  horses  for  more,  except  in  case 
of  actual  starvation.  What  I  intend  to  try  is  this.  When  it 
is  quite  dark,  we  will  turn  abruptly  from  the  present  line  and 
seek  shelter  in  the  ravine  of  that  stream  on  our  left.  The 
pursuing  party  will  push  on  in  the  darkness  thinking  we  will 
have  travelled  all  through  the  night. 

"  At  daybreak  they  will  separate  to  seek  our  trail.  They 
will  search  all  day,  but  will  not  find  it ;  their  horses  will 
then  be  dead  tired ;  they  will  rest,  but  they  will  not  give  up 
the  attempt  to  overtake  us.     As  we  have  not  been  found  in 


On  the  trail.  249 


front  or  to  the  right  or  left,  they  will  determine  to  seek 
us  on  the  back  trail ;  but  they  will  not  have  come  to  that 
decision  until  to-morrow  evening,  when  their  horses  will  be 
useless  for  pursuit. 

"On  to-morrow  evening  at  nightfall  we  will  start  from  here 
with  horses  all  fresh,  and  we  will  direct  our  course  to  the 
right  of  the  line  we  followed  when  leaving  the  camp.  So  as 
to  hit  oft"  the  buffalo  two  days  from  here.  We  will  travel  all 
night,  change  saddles  at  daybreak,  and  travel  all  day  to- 
morrow: by  that  time  we  should  be  far  away  from  our 
pursuers." 

Soon  the  evening  hour  drew  on.  The  short  twilight 
rapidly  deepened  into  night,  and  as  the  last  glimmer  of  light 
vanished,  the  plan  was  put  into  operation.  Turning  sharp  to 
the  left,  we  plunged  down  amid  some  broken  ground  that 
led  to  the  ravine  by  the  stream,  and  were  soon  securely 
ensconced  amid  the  bluffs  and  rocks  that  fringed  its  lowest 
levels. 

It  was  a  dark  moonless  night,  and  once  amid  the  broken 
ground  all  objects  became  a  shapeless  blank. 

The  Sioux  pulled  up  as  soon  as  he  found  himself  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ravine.  He  dismounted,  and  gave  me  his 
horse  and  the  laret  which  ran  through  the  bits  of  the  three 
he  led. 

"  I  will  go  back  on  foot  and  lie  near  the  trail,"  he  said. 
"  Sit  you  down  here  until  I  return."     So  saying  he  vanished 


250  Red  Cloud. 


on  foot  into  the  darkness,  and  reaching  the  neighbourhood 
of  his  former  trail,  lay  down  in  the  grass  to  watch. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait. 

Through  the  gloom  there  suddenly  passed,  riding  at  a 
hard  pace,  a  body  of  men.  They  had  swept  by  almost 
as  soon  as  the  keen  ear  of  the  Sioux  had  detected 
their  approach,  and  quick  as  they  had  come  they  were 
gone. 

The  Sioux  came  back  to  the  ravine  and  the  night  passed 
slowly  away. 

When  dawn  revealed  the  features  of  the  surrounding 
neighbourhood,  we  moved  into  a  more  sheltered  position, 
where,  amid  rock  and  bushes,  we  remained  perfectly 
screened  even  from  any  observer  who  might  have  stood  at  the 
edge  of  the  ravine.  Here  during  the  day  we  relieved  each 
other  in  the  work  of  allowing  the  horses  to  graze  with  a  laret 
passing  from  one  to  another. 

At  length  evening  came  again.  The  meal  of  dried  meat 
was  eaten,  with  water  from  the  rill  that  trickled  through  the 
bottom  of  the  glen;  then  saddles  were  adjusted  ;  girths  were 
drawn,  and  as  night  wrapped  its  black  mantle  around  the 
waste,  we  emerged  upon  the  level  prairie  to  begin  our  long 
march  to  the  north. 

It  was  quite  dark ;  not  a  sound  stirred  over  the  wilder- 
ness. The  Sioux  led  the  advance ;  he  had  three  horses  to 
his  laret.    I  followed,  leading  two.     The  pace  was  a  sharp 


A  pursuit.  25  ] 


trot,  and  the  course  lay  with  undeviating  precision  to  the 
east  of  north. 

At  last  the  long  monotony  of  the  night  was  over. 

Light,  faint  enough  it  is  true,  but  still  light,  began  to  show 
itself  along  the  line  where  the  prairie  and  the  sky  touched 
each  other  in  the  east ;  then  it  grew  into  a  broader  band  of 
pale  yellow,  and  soon  stray  tints  of  rose  began  to  streak  it, 
and  to  push  the  first  faint  reflection  still  higher  into  the 
heavens. 

How  weird  and  distant  it  used  to  look,  that  first  dawn 
over  the  virgin  wilderness  !  Shadow-land,  grim  darkness 
going,  glorious  light  approaching — approaching  so  stilly, 
with  such  solemn  steps  that  seemed  ever  to  hesitate  as  they 
trod  the  gloomy  sands  of  the  shore  of  the  night !  Then 
gradually  growing  bolder,  they  rolled  back  the  waves  of 
darkness,  and  drew  from  the  abyss  hill-top  after  hill-top,  until 
all  the  wondrous  beauty  of  the  sun  was  flashed  upon  the 
silent  land. 

Little  time  had  I  to  think  of  these  things  as  now,  in  hot 
haste,  the  saddles  were  taken  from  the  two  old  horses  and 
placed  upon  the  backs  of  two  of  the  recent  purchases. 

Then  away  we  went  again,  and  the  morning  wore  on  to 
mid-day,  and  the  evening  came  and  found  us  still  moving  to 
the  north-east. 

When  night  again  fell  we  stopped,  unsaddled,  and  turned 
the  weary  horses  out  to  rest. 


252  Red  Cloud. 


We  were  one  hundred  miles  from  the  camp  of  the  Indians. 

Morning  again  ;  a  thin  rain  fell.  The  south-west  wind 
carried  with  it  fleecy  folds  of  mist,  that  at  times  completely 
obscured  the  prairie  and  wrapt  ridges  and  hollows  in  veils  of 
vapour. 

As  we  pursued  our  course  and  the  raid-day  sun  began 
to  exercise  more  influence  upon  the  vapoury  clouds,  the 
mists  drew  up  from  the  valleys  and  drifted  slowly  along 
from  the  ridges  and  elevations.  All  at  once  the  wind 
changed;  a  light,  dry  breeze  swept  over  the  land,  driving 
before  it  all  traces  of  fog  and  mist,  until  the  whole  plain 
stood  revealed  to  its  depths  before  our  eyes. 

The  first  sight  that  greeted  us  was  ominous.  A  little  to 
the  west  a  long  cavalcade  of  Indians  was  passing  towards  the 
south.  Scarcely  a  mile  intervened  between  us  and  them  ;  the 
ground  on  all  sides  was  bare  and  open;  recognition  by 
the  cavalcade  was  immediate ;  from  its  front,  centre,  and 
rear  braves  were  seen  to  start  simultaneously  towards  us,  and 
ere  five  minutes  had  elapsed  twenty  or  thirty  Indians  had 
surrounded  us.  The  meeting  was  not  a  hostile  one ;  the 
Indians  were  not  on  a  war-trail.  It  was  the  whole  camp 
which  was  on  the  move,  and  though  trouble  might  afterwards 
arise  from  the  meeting  no  violence  was  now  offered  or 
threatened.  Still  there  was  a  display  of  force  on  the  part  of 
the  new  comers  that  made  compliance  with  their  wishes 
necessary,  and  when  they  turned  their  horses'  heads  back 


Pcnoqiiam,  or  tfie  i'ar-Off  Datv7i.  253 

towards  the  cavalcade  it  was  evident  that  the  Sioux  and  I 
were  virtually  prisoners. 

"  There  is  trouble  before  us,"  said  Red  Cloud  to  me,  as 
we  rode  towards  the  spot  where  already,  in  anticipation  of  our 
arrival,  camp  was  being  pitched.  "  These  are  Blackfeet ;  but 
they  will  not  detain  you." 

Upon  reaching  the  camp,  we  were  conducted  at  once 
into  a  circle  of  Indians  who  were  seated  upon  the  ground, 
apparently  waiting  to  receive  us.  Prominent  amid  the  circle 
sat  a  powerful  Indian,  whose  dress  and  bearing  proclaimed 
him  chief  He  wore  a  deer-skin  shirt  beautifully  embroi- 
dered on  the  breast  with  stars,  and  circles  of  coloured  por- 
cupine-quill work.  The  sleeves  were  fringed  with  human 
hair.  On  his  head  he  carried  a  sort  of  helmet  or  cap,  of 
ermine  tails  and  eagle  feathers,  and  his  leggings  and  mocca- 
sins bore  similar  tokens  of  elaborate  handiwork. 

In  common  with  many  of  the  surrounding  braves  he 
smoked  in  solemn  silence. 

Penoquam,  or  the  Far-Off  Dawn,  was  indeed  a  savage 
well  worthy  of  the  name  he  bore,  and  of  the  power  which 
he  wielded.  His  fame  had  for  years  spread  far  over  prairie 
land.  Twenty  years  before  the  time  we  speak  of,  his  repu- 
tation for  dauntless  bravery  had  been  for  ever  established 
by  an  extraordinary  raid  which  he  had  made  alone,  far  down 
the  Missouri  River,  into  the  countries  of  the  INIandan  and 
Minatarree  Sioux.     A  few  years  later  he  had  engaged  in 


254  ^^d  Cloud. 


single  combat  with  a  celebrated  Crow  chieftain  named 
Octoo,  or  the  Lightning.  The  combat  had  been  in 
full  view  of  the  rival  tribes,  and  both  Blackfeet  and  Crows 
had  fairly  kept  the  conditions  of  the  conflict  and  abided 
faithfully  by  its  issue. 

A  favourite  tale  by  Blackfeet  camp-fire  for  many  years 
after,  was  that  long  and  varying  struggle.  The  old  men 
loved  to  dilate  upon  the  joy  that  filled  the  hearts  of  the 
onlookers  when  they  saw  the  horse  of  the  Crow  chief  fall 
pierced  by  an  arrow,  leaving  his  rider  on  foot,  almost  at  the 
mercy  of  his  still  mounted  antagonist ;  and  how  that  feeling 
of  wild  exultation  changed  to  anxious  suspense  when  they 
beheld  their  champion  spring  from  his  horse,  disdaining  to 
accept  the  fortunes  thus  given  to  him,  and  advance  on  foot 
to  meet  his  foe  on  equal  terms  of  ground  and  weapon. 

Not  less  terrible  were  the  feelings  with  which  they  watched 
the  closing  moments  of  the  fight.  When  the  combatants 
met  in  the  last  deadly  embrace,  from  which  one  should 
never  rise  ;  and  how  at  last  that  deadly  struggle  ended  in 
the  victory  of  the  Far-Off  Dawn,  who,  bleeding  at  many 
wounds,  rose  alone  from  the  sandy  soil,  gained  with  a  great 
effort  his  saddle,  and  rode  slowly  back  to  his  people,  to  fall 
in^o  their  ready  arms,  while  their  shouts  of  triumph  fell  un- 
heard upon  his  ears. 

On  the  medicine  robe  of  the  Far-Off  Dawn's  history, 
the  central  figure,  representing  a  man    standmg   over  the 


His  rnedicme-robe.  255 

prostrate  form  of  another  man,  and  holding  aloft  the  scalp 
of  his  enemy,  still  commemorated  that  great  victory. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  his  power  over  the  Blackfeet 
and  their  confederates  was  very  great.  His  possessions 
too,  in  the  light  of  Indian  wealth,  were  very  large.  Fully 
four  hundred  horses  ran  in  his  bands.  His  weapons  for 
war  and  for  the  chase  included  almost  every  specimen  of 
modern  fire-arms.  His  generosity  was  said  to  be  in  keeping 
with  his  courage  ;  he  gave  freely  away  his  share  of  the  booty' 
that  fell  to  his  lot.  Altogether  Penoquam  was  a  chief 
whose  reputation  for  valour,  capacity,  and  wealth,  might 
favourably  compare  with  that  of  any  Indian  leader  from 
Texas  to  the  great  Sub-Arctic  Forest. 

Such  was  the  man  in  whose  presence  we  now  found  our- 
selves. A  buffalo  robe  was  spread  for  us  in  a  break  of 
the  circle  directly  facing  the  spot  where  Penoquam  sat,  and 
the  discourse  began  at  once. 

Interrogated  as  to  place  from  whence  we  had  come, 
destination,  and  object  of  our  journey,  the  Sioux  replied 
in  answers  as  short  as  they  could  well  be  made,  consistently 
with  replying  to  the  main  questions  put  to  him.  He  was 
coming  from  a  camp  of  the  Blood  Indians  near  the  Cypress 
hills.  He  was  returning  to  the  banks  of  the  Red  Deer 
river,  and  the  object  of  his  journey  had  been  to  get  horses. 
He  had  purchased  some  of  his  present  band  from  the  chief 

When  Red  Cloud  had  finished  replying  to  the  questions 


2^6  Red  Cloud. 


which  had  been  put  to  him  in  the  Sioux  language,  some 
conversation  was  carried  on  in  Blackfeet  among  the  men 
who  sat  around.     Presently  one  of  them  spoke  : — 

"  Our  young  men  who  have  lately  been  to  their  cousins 
the  Sircies,  have  spoken  about  a  wandering  Sioux  having 
built  himself  a  hut  at  the  forks  of  the  Red  Deer  and  Pasco- 
pee  rivers,  and  of  war  that  was  carried  on  between  him 
and  their  tribe.  Are  you  not  that  Sioux  against  whom 
our  cousins  have  had  war?  " 

To  which  Red  Cloud  replied, — 

"  I  built  a  hut  at  the  spot  you  speak  of,  and  dwelt  in  it 
during  the  past  winter ;  but  I  made  no  war  on  the  Sircies 
or  with  any  other  tribe." 

The  others  consulted  together  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
then  the  chief  spoke, — 

"  Our  cousins  the  Sircies  are  only  two  camps'  distance 
behind  us  on  this  trail,"  he  said ;  "  they  can  be  here  by  to- 
morrow's sunset.  If  they  have  no  quarrel  with  you,  I  shall 
be  your  friend ;  but  my  cousins'  quarrel  must  be  mine  also. 
You  can  stay  in  my  lodge  until  our  cousins  have  arrived, 
and  then  you  shall  be  free  to  go  if  your  hands  are  clean  of 
their  blood.  As  for  the  white  man  who  is  your  companion, 
we  have  no  quarrel  with  him  ;  he  is  at  liberty  to  depart  or 
to  stay  with  you,  as  he  pleases." 

In  fact  the  Sioux  was  a  prisoner.  His  horses  and  arms 
were  taken  away,  and  he  found  himself  treated,  it  is  true, 


Netv  arrivals. 


257 


with  no  indignity  of  durance,  but  bereft  of  any  means  of 
flight  or  of  fight,  and  constrained  to  await  the  anival  of 
those  very  foes  whose  unprovoked  attack  on  him  a  ie.\\ 
days  before  was  now  to  be  brought  as  evidence  against  him 
of  enmity  to  the  Blackfeet  confederated  tribes. 

In  the  lodge  which  was  now  given  to  us  (for  it  is  need- 
less to  say  I  gave  not  a  second  thought  to  the  permission 
to  depart)  there  was  ample  time  to  con  over  the  position, 
and  to  realize  fully  its  dangers.  The  arrival  of  the  Sircies 
would  undoubtedly  be  the  signal  for  an  outbreak  of  angry 
feeling  against  the  Sioux  on  the  part  of  the  united  camps 
of  Blackfeet  and  Sircies.  The  defeat  and  disappointment 
which  the  latter  had  suffered  at  his  hands,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  wounds  he  had  inflicted  upon  at  least  two  of  their 
braves,  would  now  be  counted  heavily  against  him — all 
added  to  whatever  incentive  to  his  destruction  the  trader 
had  originally  held  before  them.  These  thoughts  were  by 
no  means  reassuring  as  we  sat  moodily  through  the  night 
in  the  lodge ;  but  long  before  morning  he  had  determined 
upon  a  plan  which  w-ould  at  least  defeat  in  some  measure 
the  machinations  of  his  enemies,  and  might  eventually  be 
the  means  of  freeing  him  altogether  from  danger. 

From  two  quarters  next  day  there  arrived  at  the  Blackfeet 
camp  enemies  to  the  Sioux.  A  party  of  Bloods  from  the 
Cypress  hills,  and  the  Sircies  from  the  Medicine,  appeared 
upon  the  scene  ere  the  sun  had  set. 

S 


258  Red  Cloud. 


As  may  be  supposed,  their  joy  at  hearing  of  the  capture 
of  the  Sioux  was  very  great ;  but  there  was  this  differ- 
ence between  them — that  whereas  the  Bloods  only  sought 
the  property  of  their  enemy,  the  Sircies  longed  for  his 
life. 

The  trader  had  laid  his  schemes  this  time  with  no  un- 
certain purpose,  and  the  price  to  be  paid  to  the  Sircie  chief 
was  for  the  life  of  his  enemy,  not  for  his  horses  or  weapons. 
Little  wonder  was  it  then  that  when  they  found  actually  in 
their  possession  the  same  man  who  had  recently  completely 
baffled  all  their  machinations,  escaping  from  their  snares  in 
a  most  mysterious  and  unaccountable  manner  at  the  very 
moment  they  had  deemed  his  capture  most  assured,  that 
they  should  give  vent  to  their  feelings  in  loud  yells  and 
shouts  of  savage  triumph,  the  sounds  of  which  told  but  too 
surely  to  Red  Cloud  the  confirmation  of  his  worst  antici- 
pations. 

In  a  large  council  held  this  evening,  and  at  which  all  the 
chiefs  and  leading  men  were  present,  it  was  almost  unani- 
mously resolved  that  the  Sioux  was  a  lawful  prize.  Firstly, 
by  reason  of  the  aggression  made  by  the  Ogahalla  tribe 
upon  the  Bloods ;  and  secondly,  by  the  wounds  inflicted 
upon  the  bodies  of  two  Sircies  at  the  hut  at  the  forks  of 
the  Red  Deer  river. 

It  was  decided,  however,  that  before  any  final  decision 
was  come  to  with  reference  to  the  punishment  which  the 


The  Sioux  to  be  heard  in  full  comicil.  259 

captive  was  to  suffer  he  should  be  heard  in  full  council,  and 
an  opportunity  given  him  of  putting  forward  anything  he 
had  to  say  in  his  defence.  This  was  done  more  on  account 
of  my  presence  in  the  camp  than  from  any  idea  of  justice 
to  the  Sioux.  It  was  thought  that  the  white  man  might 
carry  to  the  forts  on  the  Saskatchewan  information  that 
might  afterwards  lead  to  trouble  between  the  white  man 
and  the  Indians,  and  it  was  therefore  advisable  to  carry  out 
as  many  of  the  forms  of  justice  as  it  was  possible  to  arrange 
This  council  was  to  meet  on  the  following  day,  and  to  it 
were  summoned  the  chiefs  and  leading  men  of  the  Bloods, 
Sircies,  and  Blackfeet  here  assembled. 


26o  Rei  Cloud. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  council  of  the  nation— The  wager  of  battle— Signs  of  friend- 
ship— A  private  interview — A  fair  field  and  no  favour — The 
trader  on  the  scene — I  leave  the  camp — I  camp  alone — The 
rock  on  the  hill — The  skulking  figure — Preparations  for  the 
start — The  race  for  life — The  snake  in  the  grass — A  desperate 
strait — The  odds  are  made  even — Hand  to  hand — A  last 
chance — Out  of  range. 

It  was  an  imposing  spectacle  this  council  of  the  Black- 
feet  on  the  next  morning.  On  the  rounded  top  of  a  prairie 
knoll  sat  the  chief  and  old  men  of  the  tribes ;  the  space 
surrounding  the  knoll  held  the  fighting-men  seated  in 
circles.  I  sat  with  the  Sioux  on  the  slope,  Penoquam  oc- 
cupied the  centre  of  all.  For  a  time  the  silence  was  only 
broken  by  low  murmurs  of  voices ;  everybody  smoked. 
At  length  the  tall  and  majestic  figure  of  the  Far-Off  Dawn 
rose  in  the  centre ;  every  eye  became  fixed  upon  him. 
Wrapping  his  robe  around  his  body,  he  spoke,— 

"  Chiefs  and  braves  of  the  Blackfeet  nation.  When  the 
father  of  our  tribes  crossed  the  mountains  of  the  setting 
sun,  and  pitched  his  lodge  in  this  great  prairie,  he  traced 
for  his  sons  the  paths  they  were  to  follow  in  life.   To  one  he 


Tha  tall  and  majestic  figure  of  the  Far-Off  Dawn  rose  in  the  centre. 

[Pag-e  261 


Accusation  by  the  Siojix  chief.  261 

gave  fleetness  of  foot,  to  another  he  gave  strength  of  arm, 
to  another  he  gave 'sight  to  track  the  buflalo,  the  elk,  and 
the  moose ;  but  to  all  alike  he  said.  Be  thy  courage  big  in 
battle,  and  thy  tongue  just'in  council.  Brothers,  we  are  here 
in  council  to  speak  the  straight  word.  Our  brothers  the 
Sircies  are  here ;  our  cousin  the  Sioux  is  here ;  they  have 
had  quarrel  with  each  other.  We  will  ask  our  brothers  the 
Sircies  to  tell  us  why  there  has  been  war  between  them 
and  our  cousin  ;  and  we  will  ask  our  cousin  to  say  why  he 
has  quarrelled  with  our  brothers.  Then,  when  we  have  heard 
each  the  word  which  he  has  to  speak,  our  judgment  will  be 
given  with  a  straight  tongue." 

Then  Penoquam  called  upon  the  Sircie  chief  to  state  the 
cause  of  his  quarrel  with  the  Sioux. 

The  Sircie  now  told  his  version  of  the  attack  upon  the 
hut  at  the  Forks,  dwelling  at  length  upon  the  wounds 
suffered  by  his  braves,  but  keeping  carefully  concealed  the 
part  played  by  the  trader  in  the  affair.  He  represented 
the  attack  as  made  because  the  ground  on  which  the  hut 
had  been  built  was  a  portion  of  the  hunting-grounds  of  the 
Sircie  tribe ;  and  he  also  spoke  of  the  presence  at  the  hut  of 
Indians  belonging  to  tribes  that  were  at  war  with  his 
people.  In  conclusion  he  demanded  that  the  Sioux  should 
be  given  up  to  him  for  punishment. 

Then  the  Sioux,  rising  from  the  ground  to  his  feet,  spoke 
in  answer. 


262  Red  Cloud. 


"  Chiefs  and  men  of  the  great  Blackfeet  nation.  It  is 
true  that  I  fought  against  the  Sircies,  but  I  fought  only  in 
self-defence.  Who  is  there  among  you  who  will  not  push 
aside  a  falling  tree,  or  hold  his  shield  against  a  hostile 
arrow?  I  am  known  to  you  all.  My  hand  has  never  been 
raised  against  a  red  man's  life,  save  to  defend  my  own  ;  but 
if  this  Sircie  thinks  I  owe  him  blood  for  blood,  I  am  free  to 
offer  him  the  trial  of  my  hfe  against  his  own.  Here,  on 
horseback  or  on  foot,  I  am  ready  to  meet  him  in  the 
combat." 

A  murmur  of  approval  ran  round  the  dusky  circle.  The 
Sircie  was  for  the  moment  abashed  ;  this  was  the  last  turn 
he  could  have  wished  the  affair  to  take.  The  Sioux,  he  was 
well  aware,  was  more  than  a  match  for  him  at  any  weapon ; 
nevertheless  he  could  not  openly  decline  the  preferred 
combat.  He  would  pretend  to  accept  the  battle  wager. 
When  he  announced  his  readiness  to  fight,  his  followers  at 
once  demurred. 

•  It  was  not  combat  they  wanted,  they  said,  but  the  death 
of  their  enemy.  The  Sioux  had  already  shed  the  blood  of 
their  brethren  ;  why  should  he  be  given  an  opportunity  of 
shedding  more  ?     His  own  life  should  now  be  the  penalty. 

It  was  clear  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Blackfeet 
shared  this  view.  Nor  was  it  to  be  wondered  at ;  their 
brotherhood  with  the  Sircie  was  stronger  than  their  cousin- 
ship  with  the  Siou\.     But  as  I  watched  the  faces  around, 


The  wager  of  battle.  263 

ind  took  note  of  each  varying  expression,  I  thought  I  could 
ice  in  the  face  of  the  chief  Penoquam  indications  of  other 
feehngs  towards  my  friend.  It  seemed  to  me  that  he 
wished  if  possible  to  stand  between  the  Sircies  and  their 
prey. 

The  face  of  the  red  man  is  slow  to  betray  his  thoughts, 
but  the  eye  of  true  friendship  is  quick  to  read  sign  of  favour 
or  affection  towards  a  friend,  when  the  balance  of  fate  hangs 
suspended  between  his  life  and  his  death. 

I  was  right  in  my  surmise.  Penoquam  wished  well  to  the 
Sioux.  He  had  heard  through  his  spies  the  true  story  of 
the  under-current  which  the  trader  had  set  to  work  for  the 
destruction  of  Red  Cloud,  and  he  was  determined  if  pos- 
sible to  save  him  ;  but  neither  his  power  over  his  own 
people,  nor  his  influence  with  other  tribes,  great  though  they 
undoubtedly  were,  could  enable  him  openly  to  avow  his 
intention.  He  must  dissemble  his  real  motives,  and  pretend 
acquiescence  in  the  demands  of  the  Sircies.  His  voice 
was  now  heard  above  the  murmurs  of  the  chiefs  and  braves. 

"It  is  right,"  he  said  "  that  our  brothers  the  Sircies  should 
ask  the  blood  penalty,  but  it  is  also  right  that  our  cousin 
should  be  given  the  chances  of  the  custom  of  our  people. 
The  Blackfeet  are  strong  in  battle,  they  do  nor  fear  any 
tribe  on  the  prairie,  or  in  the  thick  wood ;  but  as  they  are 
brave,  so  are  they  just.  This  Sioux  has  offered  fight ;  our 
brother  is  ready  to  meet  him  in   the  combat ;  but  if  the 


264  R^d  Cloud, 


Sioux  should  gain  the  battle,  the  reckoning  for  the  blood 
already  shed  would  still  be  due.  No  ;  we  will  not  grant 
the  combat  to  the  Sioux,  nor  shall  we  give  to  the  Sircies  the 
life  of  our  cousin.  Seven  days  from  to-day  we  will  say 
what  shall  be  done  with  the  Sioux;  until  that  time  he  is  our 
prisoner." 

The  council  now  broke  up,  and  I  was  soon  alone  with 
Red  Cloud  in  our  lodge.  It  was  after  nightfall  that  a  mes- 
senger came  to  say  Penoquam  desired  our  presence  in  his 
tent. 

It  was  only  a  few  yards  distant. 

We  found  the  chief  alone,  seated  before  a  small  fire, 
smoking.  He  motioned  us  to  sit  by  him,  and  when  we  had 
all  smoked  for  a  while  in  silence,  he  spoke.  He  had  only  a 
few  words  to  say,  but  they  meant  a  great  deal  to  us. 

"  In  seven  days,"  he  said,  "  the  Sioux  would  be  given  a 
chance  of  his  life.  He  would  have  his  own  horse  again,  and 
his  freedom  would  then  rest  with  himself.  He  would  be 
given  a  clear  start  of  three  bow-shots'  distance.  His  enemies, 
the  Sircies  might  catch  him  if  they  were  able.  For  four  days 
Penoquam  would  say  nothing  to  the  tribe  of  this  resolve, 
but  on  the  fifth  day  he  would  announce  to  them  his  de- 
cision." 

We  went  back  to  our  tent  and  silently  thought  over 
this  proposal.  It  had  many  things  to  recommend  it,  so 
far  as  the  chances  of  ultimate  safety  were  concerned.     It 


The  trader  on  cfie  scene.  26$ 


is  trae  the  horse  of  the  Sioux  was  yet  unused  to  trial  of 
speed  after  the  winter's  snow,  but  those  of  the  Sircies  were 
no  better  prepared,  perhaps  not  so  well.  But  on  the  other 
hand,  the  proud  heart  of  my  friend  revolted  at  the  idea 
of  having  to  fly  before  his  enemies.  So  galling  did  this 
thought  seem  to  him  that  he  actually  determined  to  refuse 
the  chance  offered  to  him,  and  to  tell  Penoquam  that  he 
was  ready  to  die  facing  his  foes,  but  not  to  fly  with  his 
back  towards  them. 

I  tried  to  dissuade  him  from  this  resolve,  but  all  my 
efforts  were  useless,  and  I  lay  down  to  sleep  that  night 
with  the  gloomiest  forebodings  of  approaching  evil. 

It  was  yet  early  on  the  following  morning  when  there 
arrived  in  the  Sircie  camp  one  whose  presence  soon  caused  a 
change  in  the  resolution  formed  by  the  Sioux  j  it  was  the  trader 
McDermott.  What  connexion  this  arrival  could  have  with 
the  determination  of  Red  Cloud  to  accept  the  offer  of  Peno- 
quam I  could  not  discover,  but  that  the  presence  of  the 
trader  was  the  cause  of  this  acceptance  I  could  not  doubt; 
indeed  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the  resolution  to  decline  the 
chance  of  flight  was  at  once  abandoned  when  the  news  of 
McDermott's  arrival  was  received. 

So  far  things  began  to  look  brighter.  I  had  such  com- 
plete faith  in  my  friend  that  I  felt  he  could  not  fail  unless 
the  odds  were  altogether  against  him,  and  I  knew  that  there 
could  not  be  many  horses  on  the  plains  whose  speed  would 


266  Red  Cloud. 


outmatch  his.  So  the  few  days  passed  away,  and  at  last 
came  the  morning  that  was  to  announce,  to  Blackfeet,  Sircies, 
and  trader  ahke,  the  judgment  of  Penoquam. 

The  announcement  was  received  by  the  braves  with  much 
excitement.  It  promised  them  a  spectacle  that  was  dear  to 
the  red  man's  heart ;  for  the  Sircies  or  the  Sioux  the  majority 
cared  little,  but  their  interest  in  the  race  for  life  was  keen. 
Three  days  had  still  to  elapse  before  the  race. 

It  was  necessary  that  I  should  decide  upon  some  line  of 
movement  for  myself.  If  the  Sioux  escaped,  I  would  still 
be  a  denizen  of  the  camp.  If  he  fell,  I  felt  that  I  could 
not  meet  his  enemies  save  as  my  own.  And  yet  I  could  not 
bear  the  idea  of  leaving  him  to  face  alone  this  ordeal.  True, 
I  could  be  of  no  service  to  him ;  but  that  did  not  seem  to 
lessen  the  horror  of  deserting  him  at  such  a  time.  It  was 
on  the  evening  of  this  day  that  he  spoke  his  wishes  to 
me, — 

"  I  want  you,  my  friend,  to  do  me  a  great  service.  Peno- 
quam has  told  me  that  T  am  to  be  set  free  on  the  east  side 
of  this  camp.  I  will  make  for  the  east  at  first.  If  I  find 
lliat  I  am  not  likely  to  be  overtaken  I  will  bend  away  to  the 
north  in  the  direction  of  our  cache.  You  must  go  before 
me  on  that  course.  You  have  three  spare  horses  besides 
ihc  one  you  ride.  Take  these  horses  at  nightfall  to-morrow 
out  of  camp.  Depart  on  your  way  to  the  north.  Halt 
sonic  lililc  way  to  the  east  of  north.     When  morning  bieaks 


/  leave  the  camp.  267 


choose  some  ground  where  you  can  remain  safe  during  the 
day  and  night,  and  then  on  the  forenoon  of  the  second  day 
from  to-morrow  look  out  to  the  south  for  me.  If  the  Sircies 
follow  me  with  fresh  horses  I  may  want  your  help  then.  If 
I  should  not  come  by  the  evening  of  that  day,  wait  for 
me  no  longer,  but  endeavour  to  get  to  the  cache  as  best 
you  can,  and  tell  them  what  has  happened." 

The  next  day  I  made  my  preparations  quietly  for  depar- 
ture, and  when  evening  came  I  quitted  the  camp.  A  son  of 
Penoquam  came  to  see  me  clear  of  the  lodges.  I  had  not 
dared  to  do  more  than  silently  press  the  hand  of  my  friend. 
He  sat  in  his  tent  composed  and  quiet,  as  though  to-morrow 
was  to  bringto  him  the  usual  routine  of  prairie  life.  Once  clear 
of  the  camp,  I  held  on  straight  towards  the  north,  steering 
by  the  pole  star.  I  travelled  without  halting  all  night,  and 
the  first  streak  of  dawn  found  me  many  miles  from  the 
Blackfeet  camp.  I  turned  off  towards  the  light,  and  held  on 
for  some  time  longer.  The  sun  was  now  drawing  near 
the  horizon.  It  was  time  to  halt,  I  looked  about  for 
hollow  ground  in  which  to  camp,  and  soon  found  it ;  then  I 
hobbled  the  horses,  spread  out  a  robe,  and  lay  down.  But  I 
could  not  sleep ;  the  thought  of  what  was  so  near  at  hand 
kept  my  mind  on  the  stretch,  and  the  confidence  which  I 
had  before  felt  as  to  the  result  of  the  race  for  life,  seemed 
now  to  vanish  in  swift-recurring  fears  of  disaster  to  my  friend. 
The  dew  lay  wet  upon  the  prairie.     I  pulled  the  short  green 


268  Red  Cloud. 


grass,  and  bathed  my  feverish  forehead  in  it ;  then  I  arose 
and  began  to  ascend  a  ridge  that  lay  to  the  southward  of  my 
camping-place.  From  the  top  I  could  see  far  over  the  prairie ; 
dew-freshened  and  silent  it  spread  around;  not  a  sign  of  life 
was  to  be  seen  upon  any  side.  Faraway  to  the  south,  and  some- 
what to  the  east  of  where  I  was,  a  ridge  stood  out  high  over 
other  elevations  ;  there  appeared  to  be  on  its  summit  some- 
thing like  a  large  boulder.  I  remembered,  one  day  when  stroll- 
ing around  the  Blackfeet  camp,  having  noticed  a  similar  object 
far  away  to  the  north-east ;  it  was  the  same  hill.  A  thought 
now  struck  me ;  I  might  go  in  the  night  towards  this  hill, 
and  at  daylight  gain  its  northern  side.  The  camp  would 
then  be  in  view,  and  I  would  see  something  of  what  took 
place.  I  determined  to  do  this  as  soon  as  darkness  had 
come. 

I  descended  the  hill  and  lay  down  again  on  my  robe. 
Still  I  could  not  rest.  The  trader  McDermott  seemed  to 
haunt  my  mind ;  his  presence  in  the  camp  filled  me  with 
vague  apprehensions.  I  felt  that  he  would  strain  every  effort 
to  destroy  the  man  he  held  in  so  much  dread,  and  who 
was  now  almost  in  his  power.  At  last  the  day  wore  to  an 
end.  When  it  was  quite  dark  I  set  out  for  the  rock  hill.  I 
only  took  my  o.wn  riding-horse ;  I  carried  a  double  rifle. 
I  steered  a  course  slightly  east  of  south.  When  the 
night  was  about  two-thirds  over  I  stopped  to  wait  for  day- 
light    I  was  afraid  lest  in  the  darkness  I  should  overshoot 


The  skulking  fio7ire.  269 

the  rocky  hill.  When  day  broke  I  saw  the  rock  still  be- 
fore me,  but  further  off  than  I  had  expected.  Keeping 
the  hollow  ground  as  well  as  I  could,  I  went  on.  It  was 
sunrise  when  I  reached  it.  I  then  haltered  my  horse  in  a 
hollow  on  the  north  side  of  the  ridge,  and  went  up  the 
hill  on  foot.  The  rock  at  the  top  proved  to  be  a  granite 
boulder,  here  stranded  cycles  ago  from  some  iceberg  fleet 
sailing  south,  when  this  ocean  of  grass  had  been  a  still 
vaster  ocean  of  water.  I  did  not  then  trouble  myself  much  to 
think  what  it  had  been  in  the  past ;  to  me  now  it  was 
everything  I  wanted — vantage-point,  shelter,  position. 

I  looked  out  from  the  edge  of  the  rock  over  the  prairie 
to  the  south  and  west.  Far  off,  I  saw  the  lodges  of  the 
Blackfeet  camp,  with  thin  pillars  of  light  blue  smoke  as- 
cending in  the  morning  air. 

The  atmosphere  was  very  clear,  and  objects  were  visible 
to  a  great  distance  ;  everything  was  quiet  in  the  intervening 
distance.  I  stood  some  time  leaning  against  the  boulder, 
surveying  the  scene  outspread  beneath.  Suddenly  I  saw  a 
figure  on  horseback  appear  in  the  middle  distance.  It  was 
only  for  a  moment,  and  he  was  lost  again  in  some  prairie 
hollow.  Keeping  my  eyes  on  the  place  I  soon  saw  the 
figure  show  again — this  time  the  head  and  upper  part  of  a 
man's  body.  This  also  soon  vanished,  but  only  to  reappear 
again  and  again  at  intervals.  The  man,  whoever  he  was, 
seemed  to  be  making  across  the  line  that  led  to  the  camp. 


270 


Red  Cloud. 


He  was  nearly  midway  between  the  camp  and  my  stand- 
point. At  first  I  thought  it  might  be  the  Sioux,  but  a  little 
reflection  told  me  it  could  not  be  my  friend.  At  last  I  saw 
the  figure  stop,  and  dismount  firom  his  horse.  Following  with 
my  eyes  the  line  he  had  taken,  I  noticed  that  there  seemed 
to  be  a  marked  depression  in  the  prairie  in  that  quarter. 
Standing  on  high  ground,  I  could  see  into  portions  of  this 
depression,  but  to  a  person  on  the  level  the  figure  would  have 
been  almost  wholly  invisible.  It  was  evident  the  figure  was 
that  of  some  person  who  desired,  like  myself,  to  keep  con- 
cealed from  view.  What  object  could  he  have  in  thus  keeping 
so  far  out  in  the  plain  from  the  camp  on  the  line  the  Sioux 
would  take.  Then  it  occurred  to  me  that  this  man  might 
be  the  trader  McDermott.  Could  it  be?  Every  circum- 
stance I  had  noted — the  line  followed — the  care  taken  to 
conceal  himself— all  tended  to  convince  me  that  it  must  be 
the  trader.  My  heart  sank  witl.in  me  at  the  thought ;  a  cold 
perspiration  broke  upon  my  forehead,  and  I  leant  against  the 
granite  rock  for  support.  Then  came  the  thought — could  I 
not  do  something  to  defeat  this  stealthy  scoundrel,  who  was 
thus  hiding  to  intercept  tie  escape  of  my  friend  and  strike 
him  a  traitor's  blow?  Ala;,  what  could  I  do?  Fully  five  miles 
of  open  prairie  lay  between  me  and  the  hollow  where 
this  wolf  had  taken  uo.  his  ground.  Long  before  I  could 
reach  the  spot  I  mu;c  be  observed  from  the  camp.  While 
I  was  yet  thinking  m  hat  to  do,  I  observed  in  the  far  distance, 


The  snake  in  the  grass.  27 1 

on  the  confines  of  the  camp,  signs  as  of  the  movement  of 
men  and  horses.  I  could  see  specks  moving  to  and  from  on 
the  level  plain  of  grass  that  lay  on  the  side  of  the  camp 
nearest  to  me.  It  was  not  long  before  I  saw  these  specks 
assurne  shape.  A  line  of  horsemen  was  distinguishable, 
with  one  mounted  figure  in  advance ;  this  was  only  for  a 
moment.  Then  I  saw  the  v/hole  move  forward  almost  in  an 
easterly  direction,  and  to  the  left  front  of  where  1  stood.  My 
heart  beat  so  that  I  could  hear  its  throbbing  like  the  tick  of 
a  clock.  I  was  wildly  excited,  but  with  the  fever  of  heart 
and  brain  came  strength  and  power  of  thought  such  as  I 
had  never  before  experienced.  Concealment  was  no  longer 
necessary.  I  ran  back  to  the  hollow  where  I  had  left  my 
horse,  drew  tight  the  saddle-girths,  jumped  into  the  saddle, 
and  rode  up  to  the  rock  again.  The  short  interval  had 
changed  the  scene.  The  horsemen  had  come  on,  but 
the  line  was  no  longer  uniform  ;  there  were  stragglers  already 
dropping  behind,  and  there  were  others  who,  at  the  distance 
from  which  I  saw  them,  seemed  to  be  almost  nearer  the 
leading  horseman  than  they  had  been  before. 

I  saw  that  the  direction  of  the  leading  horseman  was 
changing  a  little  towards  the  north,  but  for  what  reason  it 
was  impossible  to  say.  This  change  of  direction  if  continued 
would  leave  the  place  where  I  had  last  observed  the  skulk- 
ing figure  considerably  to  the  right. 
^  I  now  observed  that  this  man  appeared  to  be  aware  of 


272  Red  Cloud. 


the  alteration  of  direction,  for  he  began  to  move  further  to 
to  the  west  on  the  Une  he  had  already  been  pursuing. 

In  the  time  I  have  taken  to  tell  these  changes  and  move- 
ments the  main  scene  itself  was  sweeping  rapidly  along. 
Scarcely  two  miles  now  separated  the  Sioux  from  the 
figure  in  ambush,  but  I  saw  with  joy  that  in  his  efforts  to 
keep  concealed  from  view  the  horseman  in  the  hollow  was 
quickly  losing  the  great  advantage  of  position  which  he  had 
first  held,  and  that  there  was  every  chance  that  instead 
of  being  able  to  cut  off  the  Sioux  on  a  line  at  right  angles 
to  that  of  the  original  pursuit,  he  would  be  compelled  to 
strike  at  him  on  the  longer  course  of  an  acute  angle.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  knew  that  while  the  horse  ridden  by  my  friend 
must  now  be  showing  signs  of  the  pace  at  which  he  had  come 
for  four  miles,  that  belonging  to  the  man  in  ambush  was 
almost  fresh. 

All  at  once  the  horseman  in  the  hollow  came  out  into 
full  view.  He  rode  at  topmost  speed  to  cross  the  line  on 
which  the  Sioux  was  moving.  To  avoid  the  fresh  attack 
I  saw  the  Sioux  bend  further  away  to  his  left,  and  1  noticed 
that  his  course  was  now  directed  almost  straight  upon  my 
standpoint. 

Nearer  and  nearer  he  came  ;  the  original  pursuers  were 
now  far  behind,  in  fact  only  four  or  five  of  them  were  still 
in  the  race ;  the  rest  had  ridden  their  horses  to  a  standstill. 
But  I  thought  little  about  these  Sircie  braves  ;  my  eyes  fol- 


A  dcspo'atc  strait.         '  273 


lowed  the  course  of  the  new  enemy ,  my  heart  sank  as  I 
marked  the  rapidity  of  his  advance,  and  the  evident  fresh- 
ness of  his  strong  black  horse. 

As  I  have  already  remarked,  the  line  upon  which  he 
advanced  was  calculated  to  meet  that  upon  which  the  Sioux 
was  moving ;  and  the  point  at  which  they  would  meet  if 
continued  as  they  were  now  directed,  would  be  not  very  far 
away  from  where  I  was  standing. 

Of  the  two  horsemen,  the  trader  was  the  nearest  to  me ; 
he  was  still  a  couple  of  miles  away,  but  I  judged  that  when 
he  passed  the  western  base  of  my  hill  he  would  not  be 
half  a  mile  distant. 

Red  Cloud  was  evidently  in  no  hurry  to  edge  away  to 
his  left  and  thus  make  the  chase  a  stern  one.  Perhaps  he 
feared  that  any  change  of  direction  westward  would  throw 
him  back  up  to  the  Sircies,  or  it  may  have  been  that  he  felt 
his  gallant  horse  still  strong  beneath  him.  Anyhow,  on 
he  held  his  course,  apparently  little  heeding  his  dangerous 
enemy  on  the  right. 

It  is  difficult  for  me  to  tell  the  exact  process  of  thought 
which  my  b«-ain  went  through  while  my  eyes  were  fastened 
on  this  scene.  What  I  must  have  thought  the  subsequent 
action  proves ;  but  I  cannot  recall  any  distinct  effort 
of  thinking,  or  any  line  of  reasoning  guiding  me  to  action. 
I  saw  and  acted.  After  all,  in  the  real  crises  oi  existence  it 
is  on  such  action  that  our  lives  turn. 

T 


274  Red  Child. 


I  hastily  turned  my  horse  down  the  northern  slope  of  the 
hill,  and  sweeping  round  by  the  north-west  base,  galloped 
out  into  the  open  prairie. 

And  now  I  beheld  a  strange  sight.  Less  than  a  mile 
distant,  straight  in  front  of  me,  the  trader  was  riding  furiously, 
following  hard  upon  the  Sioux.  The  latter  had  turned  his 
horse  full  towards  the  west.  There  did  not  seem  to  be  two 
hundred  yards  interval  between  pursuer  and  pursued ;  and 
judging  by  the  terrific  pace  at  which  the  trader's  horse  was 
going,  that  short  distance  was  rapidly  being  lessened.  No 
other  figures  were  anywhere  to  be  seen. 

I  took  in  all  this  as,  with  spurs  hard  set  into  my  horse's 
flanks,  I  flew  in  pursuit  of  the  trader. 

Once  or  twice  I  saw  him  raise  his  gun  to  his  shoulder 
to  fire  at  the  Sioux  ;  but  he  dropped  it  again  to  await  a  nearer 
and  more  certain  shot. 

Fast  as  the  two  men  were  flying  before  me,  my  horse  was 
going  even  faster  still.  I  was  gaining  at  every  stride  upon 
them ;  but  of  what  use  was  my  effort  when  any  moment  a  shot 
might  end  the  life  of  my  friend  ?  I  was  too  far  off"  to  render 
assistance.     I  might,  however,  avenge  his  death  if  he  fell. 

And  now,  as  straining  every  nerve,  I  rode  along,  expecting 
every  instant  to  see  the  puff"  of  white  smoke,  and  hear  the 
report  of  the  fatal  shot,  I  beheld  the  strangest  sight  of  all  that 
I  had  looked  upon  during  this  eventful  morning. 

Suddenly  I  saw  the  Sioux  swerve  to  the  right  from  his 


The  odds  arc  made  even.  275 

onward  co.urse,  and,  wheeling  with  the  rapidity  which  only 
the  Indian  can  turn,  bear  down  full  upon  the  trader. 

So  unexpected  was  the  movement,  so  quick  was  its  exe- 
cution, that  the  trader  was  completely  thrown  out.  Had  the 
Sioux  made  his  wheel  to  his  left  hand  the  advantage  of  shot 
across  the  bridle  arm  would  have  been  with  the  trader  ;  but 
now  this  wheel  to  the  right  brought  the  Indian  upon  the  off 
side  of  his  enemy,  and  put  McDermott  in  a  disadvantage, 
which  was  instantly  increased  by  the  still  forward  movement 
of  his  own  horse. 

Just  as  the  Sioux's  horse  had  completed  his  wheel,  the 
trader  fired  a  snap-shot,  his  gun  held  straight  at  the  full 
stretch  of  his  right  arm.  The  range  was  under  one  hundred 
yards,  but  the  rapid  motion  of  his  own  horse  made  the  shot 
a  difficult  one,  and  I  shouted  with  joy  when  I  saw  that 
neither  man  nor  horse  was  harmed. 

Still  the  odds  were  terribly  against  the  Sioux.  He  had 
neither  gun,  nor  bow,  nor  knife,  while  his  opponent  was 
fully  armed.  More  in  the  hope  of  distracting  McDermott's 
attention  and  confusing  his  aim,  than  with  any  expectation 
of  hitting  him  at  the  distance  I  was  still  away,  I  now  fired* 
two  shots  at  him  as  he  stood  out  clear  from  the  Sioux, 
whose  wheel  had  placed  him  well  to  one  side.  Both  shots 
missed  their  object,  but  I  saw  that  he  turned  a  quick  glance 
in  my  direction  just  as  the  Sioux  came  thundering  across 
the  short  space  that  still  lay  between  them. 

T   2 


276  Red  Cloud. 


The  career  which  McDermott  had  long  foliowed  made 
him  an  expert  in  all  the  exercises  of  wild  life  on  the  prairies. 
He  could  pull  a  cool  trigger  amid  the  fierce  stampede  of 
buffalo,  and  take  a  sure  aim  in  battle  or  in  the  chase.  He 
would  have  wagered  the  best  horse  in  his  possession  that 
an  unarmed  enemy  charging  him  on  the  open  prairie,  if 
such  a  man  were  found  mad  enough  to  attempt  the  venture, 
would  have  been  a  dead  man  within  twenty  paces  of  his 
standpoint;  and  even  now,  although  coward  conscience 
trembled  in  his  heart  as  he  faced  his  enemy,  his  levelled  gun 
was  pressed  firmly  to  his  shoulder,  and  held  steady  in  the 
bridle-hand,  while  his  horse  stood  true  to  the  teaching  of 
Indian  tactics,  the  obedient  servant  and  trained  auxiliary  of 
its  rider. 

I  saw  the  Sioux  low  bent  upon  his  horse ;  I  saw  the 
smoke  flash  forth  from  the  trader's  gun ;  and  then  for  an 
instant  all  was  confusion.  With  a  wild  convulsive  leap 
forward,  the  Indian's  horse  fell,  crashing  almost  at  the  feet 
of  the  trader's  steed ;  and  then — so  quick  was  the  upward 
spring  that  I  could  mark  no  interval  of  time — the  red 
man's  grasp  was  round  his  enemy,  and  the  game  of  life 
or  death  was  at  last  being  played  on  even  terms. 

I  reached  the  spot  at  the  final  moment.  The  Sioux,  with 
one  knee  firmly  planted  against  the  trader's  saddle,  had 
clasped  both  arms  around  his  enemy,  wrenching  him  by  a 
mighty  effort  from  his  horse.     In  the  struggle  McDermott 


Hand  to  hand.  277 


had  flung  asiJe  his  empty  gun  in  order  to  better  grapple 
with  his  assailant ;  so  the  fight  was  now  without  weapons. 
Both  men  rose  from  the  ground  still  locked  in  a  fierce 
embrace.  For  a  moment  it  seemed  that  the  heavier  frame 
and  greater  bulk  of  the  white  man  must  prevail  over  the 
lither  figure  of  the  Indian,  Once  or  twice  the  trader  lifted 
his  assailant  almost  off  his  feet ;  but  the  marvellous  agility 
of  the  Sioux  again  gave  him  the  advantage,  and  after  a  long 
and  desperate  rally  the  white  man  was  borne  backward 
and  forced  upon  his  knees. 

So  far  not  a  word  had  escaped  the  two  men ;  they  had 
fought  in  grim  silence.  But  now  when  victory  seemed  about 
to  declare  itself  for  the  Sioux,  a  savage  laugh  broke  from 
the  trader,  and  with  a  mighty  effort  he  locked  his  arms 
around  the  Indian,  intent  only  upon  holding  him  in  his 
grasp.  Well  might  he  think  the  game  was  still  his  own. 
A  low  ridge  three  hundred  yards  to  the  south,  suddenly 
darkened  with  galloping  horsemen  and  with  loud  war- 
cries  of  triumph,  a  dozen  Sircies  came  sweeping  down  upon 
us.  One  chance  yet  remained  to  us.  I  pushed  my  horse 
close  to  the  struggling  men,  and  with  my  gun  held  by  the 
barrel,  I  struck  the  iron  butt  heavily  down  upon  the  trader's 
head.  The  strong  tension  of  his  grasp  relaxed,  and  he 
sank,  apparently  lifeless,  to  the  ground. 

But  so  intent  was  the  Sioux  upon  his  enemy  that  he 
resented  my  interference,  and  glared  at  me  for  a  moment ; 


2/8  Red  Cloud. 


then  I  saw  him  seeking  for  a  weapon,  heedless  of  the  ap- 
proaching danger,  now  so  close  upon  us. 

"Quick,"  I  cried  to  hira,  "or  we  are  lost!  Jump  upon 
the  trader's  horse." 

My  word  recalled  him  from  the  frenzy  of  passion  which 
had  absorbed  every  faculty  of  heart  and  brain. 

The  horse  had  stood  quietly  during  the  struggle,  as  his 
old  training  had  taught  him ;  the  trader's  gun  lay  at  his  feet. 
To  seize  the  gun  from  the  ground  and  spring  into  the 
vacant  saddle  was  the  work  of  an  instant,  and  ere  the  head- 
most braves  were  quite  upon  us,  we  were  off  at  headlong 
speed  towards  the  north  ;  one  arrow  quivering  through  the 
flesh  of  my  right  leg,  and  two  or  three  others  hurtling  harm- 
lessly around  us.  Twenty  seconds  more,  and  our  fleet 
horses  had  carried  us  out  of  range. 


279 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Revulsion — Home  again — New  plans — We  depart  for  the 
mountains — The  Hand  hills — The  great  range — Home 
memories — A  murderous  volley — Donogh  sees  "  the  land 
beyond  the  grave  " — Vain  regrets — We  enter  the  mountains — 
The  island — A  lonely  grave — The  Indian's  home. 

We  rode  hard  for  a  couple  of  hours.  I  led  the  way  to- 
wards the  place  where,  on  the  previous  evening,  I  had  left 
my  three  horses.  Long  ere  we  reached  it,  the  Sircies  had 
abandoned  their  pursuit,  and  turned  back  towards  their 
camp.  Now  we  had  time  to  talk  over  the  past.  For  many 
hours  that  morning,  and  all  the  previous  night,  I  had  been 
moving  as  though  in  a  dream.  During  the  past  two  hours 
I  seemed  to  have  lived  an  age ;  there  had  been  moments 
of  agony  so  acute,  that  my  brain  reeled  when  I  thought 
over  them.  But  now  all  was  past ;  the  long  night  of  doubt 
and  captivity  was  over,  and  the  fair  morning  of  hope  and 
freedom  shone  full  upon  us. 

My  heart  soon  answered  the  helm  of  such  thoughts,  and 
my  spirits  rose  in  unison  with  them.  Not  so  with  the  Sioux. 
The  abstraction  of  the  flight  seemed  to  be  still  upon  him ; 


28o  Red  Cloud. 


for  a  long  time  he  rode  on,  looking  vacantly  before  him. 
Once  or  twice  I  spoke  to  him,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  hear 
what  I  said.     At  length  he  roused  himself  and  spoke. 

"  If  you  had  ever  said  to  me  that  one  day  I  should  have 
had  that  man  within  my  grasp,  and  that  I  would  have 
failed  to  take  his  life,  I  would  have  told  you  that  it  was 
impossible.  And  yet,"  he  went  on,  "it  is  better  that  he 
should  still  live.  Had  he  fallen  at  the  hands  of  another,  my 
father's  spirit  would  have  remained  unavenged." 

"  Live  ?  "  I  answered.  "  He  fell,  when  I  struck  him  with 
my  gun,  as  though  life  had  left  him." 

*'  For  all  that  he  is  not  dead.  Men  like  him  do  not  die 
so  easily.  He  was  stunned  by  the  blow ;  he  will  be  laid  up 
for  a  week,  and  then  he  will  be  as  well  as  ever." 

I  confess  to  feeling  glad  at  this.  Although  I  had  struck 
the  trader  to  save  my  friend's  life,  I  cared  not  to  have  on 
my  hands  his  blood.  It  is  true  that  had  my  gun  been 
loaded  at  the  moment  when  he  held  the  Sioux  tightly  locked 
in  his  embrace,  I  would  not  have  hesitated  shooting  him 
dead  to  set  free  my  friend,  but  I  would  always  have  regretted 
being  compelled  to  do  so. 

It  was  better  as  it  was ;  the  Sioux  was  safe.  McDermott 
still  lived. 

We  then  spoke  of  the  earlier  events  of  the  morning.  I 
heard  how  Red  Cloud  had  always  counted  upon  his  enemy 
forming  part  of  the  pursuing  force.     It  was  that  belief  which 


Home  a  mill.  281 


had  induced  him  first  of  all  to  accept  the  chance  of  flight 
ofifered  by  the  Blackfoot  chief.  I  asked  him  how  he  had 
hoped  to  resist  the  trader  successfully,  seeing  that  he  was 
without  arms  of  any  kind. 

"  The  spirit  of  his  dead  father  would  watch  over  him," 
he  said.  And  when  I  told  him  of  my  fears  and  anxieties  on 
the  previous  day,  and  how  I  had  determined  to  turn  back 
to  the  rock  hill,  with  a  vague  purpose  of  helping  him  in  his 
need,  he  again  remarked, — 

"  It  was  the  spirit  of  my  father  that  led  you." 

Of  the  loss  of  his  favourite  horse  he  thought  much. 

*•  Had  I  done  my  work  as  well  as  he  did  his,"  he  said, 
"  my  enemy  would  not  have  escaped  me." 

"  But  you  have  gained  even  a  better  animal,"  I  said, 
"  than  the  one  lost." 

"  No,  not  better  to  me,"  he  replied.  "  For  three  years, 
through  every  change  of  land  and  season,  through  danger 
and  difficulty,  through  fight  and  chase,  that  poor  beast  bore 
me — and  all  only  to  fall  at  last  by  the  bullet  of  my  enemy. 
Well,  it  adds  another  name  to  the  list  It  will  perhaps  be 
longer  before  it  is  closed." 

We  now  reached  the  place  where  I  had  left  the  horses. 
They  were  feeding  together  almost  on  the  same  ground ;  and 
without  any  delay  longer  than  was  necessary  to  get  them 
together,  we  started  for  the  cache.  Although  the  events 
of  the  morning  made  the  time  appear  an  age,  the  day  was 


282  Red  Cloud. 


yet  ycung.  I  had  dry  meat  sufficient  for  both  our  needs,  a 
lake  gave  us  water ;  with  only  a  halt  of  a  minute  or  two  we 
held  on  until  long  after  nightfall,  and  when  daylight  broke 
next  morning  the  woods  were  in  sight.  Bearing  away  to 
the  east  we  kept  in  sight  of  these  woods  all  day,  and  at 
evening  drew  in  towards  their  shelter,  camping  once  more 
amid  the  pleasant  leaves  of  trees,  and  enjoying  a  couple  of 
partridges  for  our  supper. 

We  were  at  a  point  considerably  below  where  we  had  left 
our  party  less  than  three  weeks  before,  but  still  above  the 
place  where  the  cache  was  to  have  been  made. 

Continuing  our  course  next  day,  we  reached,  early  in  the 
afternoon,  a  spot  which  commanded  a  long  view  of  the  river 
valley.  Far  winding  between  partly  wooded  banks,  it  lay  for 
many  a  mile  amid  the  silent  wilderness — the  shallows  at 
curves  catching  the  sunlight,  the  quiet  reaches  reflecting  the 
clear  blue  sky. 

How  calm  and  tranquil  it  all  looked !  The  contrast 
between  its  peacefulness  and  the  strife  I  had  just  witnessed 
struck  me  with  profound  wonder.  Here  was  a  bit  of  the 
earth  as  it  came  from  the  Creator's  hands,  bright  with  the 
glowof  summer,  decked  in  the  dress  of  leaf  and  blossom,  sweet 
with  the  perfume  of  wild  flower,  fresh  with  the  breezes  of 
untold  distance ;  and  there  below  the  southern  horizon,  but 
two  days'  riding  away,  man's  passion,  guilt,  and  greed  ruled 
rampant  in  the  land.     According  to  the  directions  which  the 


New  plans,  283 


Sioux  had  given  as  to  the  place  for  the  cache  to  be  formed, 
we  must  now  be  near  the  camp  of  our  comrades. 

So  indeed  it  proved.  On  the  edge  of  the  woods  we  came 
suddenly  upon  the  Iroquois;  he  had  seen  us  from  a  lofty  look- 
out point  whichhehad  established  on  the  far  side  of  the  river, 
and  had  crossed  over  to  meet  us  and  show  the  way  to  the 
camp.  It  was  formed  upon  an  island  in  the  river.  There  we 
found  Donogh,  the  scout,  and  the  Cree,  all  well,  and  long- 
ing for  our  return.  They  were  amply  provided  with  food  ; 
moose  were  plentiful,  they  had  trapped  several  young 
beavers,  and  smaller  game  was  abundant.  We  sat  late  that 
evening  talking  over  our  adventures. 

The  Indians  listened  with  breathless  interest  to  the  story 
of  the  capture  by  the  Blackfeet — the  pursuit,  the  fight,  and 
the  escape.  Donogh  was  never  tired  asking  questions  about 
my  share  in  the  final  struggle  with  the  trader.  Had  he  been 
there  to  help,  he  said,  McUermott  would  not  have  got  off  so 
easily. 

A  week  now  passed  quietly  away ;  the  horses  wanted 
rest  after  their  arduous  travel ;  plans  had  to  be  made  for 
future  movements.  It  was  not  likely  that  we  should  be  left 
long  unmolested  in  this  neighbourhood.  If  the  Sioux  was 
right  in  the  belief  that  a  week  or  ten  days  would  suffice  to 
cure  the  injuries  which  the  trader  had  suffered,  then  the 
Blackfeet,  the  Sircies,  or  Bloods,  would  soon  beat  up  our 
quiet  camp.     Besides,  the  life  of  the  wilderness  must  ever  be 


284  R^d  Cloud. 


a  life  of  wandering.  The  bird  seeks  the  sunlit  atmosphere  to 
try  his  wings  ;  the  horseman  on  the  prairie  roams  because  he 
cannot  sit  down  and  call  a  patch  of  the  earth  his  home.  His 
home  is  sky-bound ;  and  when  he  can  no  longer  wander,  his 
grave  is  not  far  off. 

Farther  to  the  west  there  yet  lay  a  vast  region,  into  which 
we  had  not  entered.  At  its  western  extremity  rose  the  pine- 
clad  sides  and  icy  peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  whose 
deep-rent  valleys  and  vast  glaciers  fed  this  stream  upon 
which  we  were  now  camped,  as  well  as  countless  other 
streams  and  rivers,  whose  waters  eventually  seek  the  far 
separated  seas  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
To  this  region  of  prairie  bordering  upon  mountain  we  would 
direct  our  course,  and  remain  until  the  autumn  must  again 
make  us  think  of  winter-quarters. 

We  had  four  full  months  of  summer  before  us ;  we  had 
horses,  arms,  and  goods;  our  guns  would  give  us  food. 

So  we  were  once  more  on  the  move.  We  divided  our 
stores  and  goods  evenly  among  the  five  horses,  and  being 
one  horse  delicient,  Donogh,  the  Iroquois,  and  the  scout 
took  it  in  turn  to  walk.  As  the  weather  was  now  very  fine 
and  warm,  we  cached  the  leather  tent,  and  some  other 
items  for  which  there  was  no  use.  We  travelled  quietly, 
but  by  starting  early  and  camping  late  managed  to  make 
good  distances  each  day.  Our  course  lay  along  the  line  of 
mixed  wooded  and  prairie  country  which  bordered  the  Red 


We  journey  to  the  mountams.  285 

Deer  river.  We  kept  a  sharp  look  out  for  hostile  Indians, 
and  took  precautions  at  night  to  secure  the  horses  from 
attack. 

As  thus  we  journeyed  towards  the  west,  we  entered 
upon  a  very  beautiful  land  ;  grassy  hills  spread  away  beyond 
each  other  in  a  constant  succession,  long  winding  lakes 
came  in  view  as  we  gained  the  summits  of  ridges,  and  the 
valleys  and  lake  shores  held  groves  of  mixed  cottonwood  and 
pine-trees,  which  gave  camping  grounds  of  fairy-like  beauty 
amid  the  vast  stillness  of  the  wilderness.  One  evening,  it 
was  about  the  end  of  June,  we  gained  a  range  of  hills  which 
during  two  days  had  bounded  our  horizon  on  the  west. 

Long  ere  we  reached  them,  Red  Cloud  had  promised  me 
a  view  from  their  ridges  surpassing  anything  I  had  yet  looked 
at  in  the  great  prairie. 

Slowly  up  the  east  side  of  the  hill  we  held  our  way,  while 
every  now  and  again  a  long- eared  hare  sprang  from  the  grass 
before  us,  and  vanished  into  brake  or  coppice.  At  last  the 
top  was  gained.  The  sun  yet  shone  on  the  bare  ridge,  but 
the  prairie  beneath  on  either  side  was  in  shadow,  and 
already  the  blue  line  of  shade  was  creeping  up  the  hill  to 
where  we  stood.  Fifty  miles  away  to  the  west  the  vast  plain 
came  to  an  end.  A  huge  rampart  mountain  rose  up  into  the 
sunset  skies,  poising  for  a  moment  the  great  orb  of  the  sun  on 
its  loftiest  pinnacles  of  snow.  Far  away  to  north  and  south 
this  rampart  range  was  laid  along  the  horizon,  until  the  edges 


286  Red  Cloud. 


of  mountain  tops  were  only  faintly  visible  above  the  plain  on 
the  verge  of  vision  to  south-west  and  north-west. 

"  The  Rocky  Mountains  at  last,"  I  said,  half  musing,  to 
myself,  as  thus  I  beheld  this  grand  range  lying  in  all  the  glory 
of  the  summer  sunset. 

"  That  is  the  name  the  first  fur-traders  gave  them,"  said 
Red  Cloud  ;  "  but  the  Indian  has  better  titles  for  them ;  '  The 
Mountains  of  the  Setting  Sun,'  *The  Ridge  of  the  World.' 
He  who  would  scale  the  icy  peaks,  they  say,  would  see  the 
land  beyond  the  grave." 

As  now  I  looked  across  the  great  intervening  plain, 
slowly  fading  into  twilight,  and  saw  the  glittering  edge  of  the 
long  line  of  mountain  top,  clear  cut  against  the  lustrous  after- 
glow, the  red  man's  thought  which  would  make  this  giant 
range  the  line  of  separation  between  life  and  death  seemed 
to  be  no  far-fetched  fancy.  Here  ended  the  great  prairie. 
There  was  the  shore  of  that  vast  wilderness,  over  which  my 
steps  had  wandered  through  so  many  varied  scenes  of  toil, 
tumult,  and  adventure.  Beyond,  all  was  unknown.  And 
then  came  back  to  me  a  vision  of  those  well-remembered 
hill-tops  of  my  eaVly  days ;  the  heather-covered  slopes  o 
Seefin,  the  wild  crags  of  Cooma-sa-harn,  the  flat  rock  that 
marked  the  giant's  grave  on  Coolrue. 

The  sound  of  a  footstep  approaching  from  behind  roused 
me  from  my  reverie  of  home.  I  turned ;  Donogh  stood 
beside  me;  there  was  a  strange  wistful  look  in  his  eyes. 


A  murderous  volley.  287 

"Ah,  master!"  he  said,  "it  makes  me  think  of  the 
old  home  again,  to  look  at  those  mountains,  and  the  sun 
going  down  behind  them  as  he  used  to  do  in  Glencar." 

The  tone  of  his  voice  was  sad.  I  asked  him  if  he  felt 
home-sick  ? 

"  No,  not  home-sick,"  he  replied  ;  "  but  I  have  been 
dreaming  for  nights  past  of  all  the  old  places — the  eagle's 
nest  over  Cooma-sa-harn,  the  rocks  that  hung  over  Lough 
Cluen,  the  island  in  the  south  end  of  the  lake.  I  saw  them 
just  as  they  were  in  the  old  times.  It  was  only  last  night  that 
I  dreamt  we  were  climbing  the  face  of  the  cliff  to  the 
eagle's  nest,  and  I  thought  the  old  bird  came  suddenly 
swooping  down,  and  that  I  fell  into  the  lough  below." 

"  Would  ycu  like  to  be  back  again  in  the  old  glen  ?  "  I 
asked  him, 

"  Not  unless  you  were  to  come  too,"  he  answered. 
"  This  is  a  lonesome  country  sure  enough,  but  I  don't 
mind  it  so  long  as  you  are  near." 

We  made  our  camp  that  night  in  a  hollow,  lower  down 
on  the  west  slope  of  the  hill.  We  had  killed  some  hares 
during  the  day,  and  had  boiled  them  into  a  thick  kind  of  soup, 
which,  flavoured  with  wild  sage,  gave  us  an  excellent  supper. 
The  meal  over,  we  were  sitting  around  the  fire  chatting  and 
smoking,  when  suddenly  a  volley  of  musketry  rang  forth 
close  at  hand,  and  half  a  dozen  bullets  struck  around  us. 
In   the  wild   confusion   that   followed,  I    only    remember 


288  Red  Cloud. 


springing  to  my  feet,  and  seeing  the  others  spring  up  too. 
Not  all,  alas  !  for  poor  Donogh  had  fallen  forward  from  the 
place  where  he  was  sitting,  and  the  Cree  only  rose,  to  fall 
again.  Seizing  my  gun,  I  sprang  to  where  Donogh  was 
lying ;  but  at  this  moment  I  felt  my  hand  suddenly  grasped 
with  iron  strength,  and  I  was  dragged  forward  into  the 
dark. 

"  Lie  down,"  hissed  Red  Cloud  in  my  ear,  *'  or  we  are  all 
lost.  Look  at  the  fire,  and  shoot  when  you  see  them  in  the 
light." 

The  whole  thing  had  happened  so  quickly,  that  ere  I  had 
time  to  collect  my  senses  I  was  lying  in  darkness,  just  over 
the  brow  of  a  knoll  fifteen  paces  from  the  fire. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait.  Suddenly  there  came  a  wild 
war-whoop  of  savage  triumph,  and  a  dusky  group  of  men 
swept  down  into  the  circle  of  light  from  the  outer  darkness. 

They  thought  that  the  first  volley  had  given  them  undis- 
puted  possession  of  our  camp,  and  that  scalps  and  spoils  had 
only  to  be  gathered.  Now  it  was  our  turn.  Quick  from  our 
dark  shelter  the  shots  rang  out ;  but  few  were  thrown  away. 
One  brawny  savage,  with  knife  in  hand,  had  reached  the 
spot  where  Donogh  was  lying,  but  a  bullet  from  my  gun 
stopped  his  deadly  purpose,  and  laid  him  low  beside  my 
poor  friend 

Another  fell  dead  near  the  fire,  and  we  saw  two  more 
stagger  'neath   our    bullets.     This    unexpected    reception 


^\,  ^ 


'f\&^. 


One  brawny  savage  had  reached 


the  spot  where  Donogh  was  Iviti". 


I  felt  DonogJts  hand  grozviug  cold  and  clainniy.  2?9 

checked   the  ardour  of  the  attack,  and   drove  back   our 
assailants. 

We  took  advantage  of  their  repulse  to  drag  our  stricken 
comrades  from  the  light. 

Alas !  one  had  already  passed  from  the  light  of  life  to 
the  darkness  of  death.  The  Cree  had  ceased  to  breathe, 
but  Donogh  was  still  alive. 

When  we  had  breathing  time  to  think  of  other  matters 
than  our  lives,  Red  Cloud  sent  the  Iroquois  and  the  scout 
to  drive  the  horses  to  a  place  of  safety. 

"  We  have  given  these  Sircies  something  to  occupy  them," 
he  said ;  "  but  after  a  while  they  may  try  to  get  our  horses, 
since  they  have  failed  to  take  all  our  lives." 

Soon  the  fire  burned  itself  out,  and  the  darkness  of  the 
short  summer's  night  lay  around. 

Yet  how  long  it  seemed  to  me,  as  sitting  by  poor  Donogh's 
side,  and  with  his  hand  fast  in  mine,  I  waited  for  the  dawn. ! 
He  was  quite  conscious,  but  every*  now  and  again  a  stifled 
moan  broke  from  his  lips,  and  as  the  night  wore  on  I  felt 
the  hand  growing  cold  and  clammy.  When  daylight  came 
I  saw  that  the  poor  boy's  end  was  near. 

The  shot  had  struck  him  in  the  chest,  and  his  life-blood 
was  ebbing  fast. 

I  could  not  trust  myself  to  speak.  I  could  only  hold  his 
hand  in  mine,  and  try  to  stanch  the  red  stream  from  his- 
death-wound. 

u 


290  Red  Cloud. 


"  Master,"  he  said  to  me,  in  a  very  faint  voice,  "  I  never 
knew  father  nor  mother,  brother  nor  sister,  and  so  there's  no 
one  that  will  miss  me,  except  it's  yourself.  You'll  sometimes 
think. of  me,  sir,  won't  you — when  you  see  the  deer  on 
the  hilltop,  and  the  wild  ducks  on  the  pond,  and  the 
grouse  on  the  mountain  side,  all  the  things  that  we  used 
to  hunt  together?  And  master,"  he  went  on,  "if  ever 
you  go  back  to  the  old  glen  again,  you'll  say  to  the  priest 
that  the  poor  boy  he  used  to  teach  of  a  Sunday  didn't  for- 
get the  lesson  at  the  end.  You'll  bury  me  up  on  the  hill- 
top, where  we  first  saw  the  mountain  from  ?  "  he  said  again, 
after  a  pause.  "  It's  something  like  the  top  of  Seefin,  where 
we  used  to  sit  looking  out  on  the  world — the  big  lonesome 
world." 

Then  his  voice  hushed,  and  after  a  time  the  lips  only 
moved  as  the  poor  boy  repeated  some  prayer  of  his  child- 
hood. 

It  was  the  long  summer  dawn  that  had  looked  upon  the 
scene.  As  the  boy's  life  ebbed  away  the  glory  of  the 
morning  had  been  growing  brighter ;  and  the  sun,  whose 
setting  lustre  had  recalled  the  home  scenes  to  his  memory 
on  the  previous  evening,  was  now  close  beneath  the 
horizon  on  the  east.  But  never  more  was  my  faith fu 
Donogh  to  see  the  sun.  When  its  level  rays  struck  upon 
our  camp  on  the  Red  Deer  hill,  he  had  gone  before  us 
to  the  icy  peaks  of  the  "  Mountains  of  the  Setting  Sun  " — 


Donogh  sees  "  tJie  land  beyond  the  grave''       291 

he    had   crossed   the    "  Ridge  of    the   World,"   and    was 
aheady  in  "  the  land  beyond  the  grave." 

On  the  hill-top  near  at  hand  we  laid  the  two  bodies  in 
a  single  grave.  With  knife  and  axe  we  dug  a  trench  in  a 
small  clump  of  cottonwood,  and  there  the  red  man  and  his 
white  brother  slept  side  by  side. 

Then  we  made  haste  to  leave  the  fatal  spot ;  not  from 
fear  of  pursuit,  as  our  assailants  had  suffered  too  severely 
to  make  it  likely  they  would  soon  follow  us  up.  An  exa- 
mination of  the  ground  convinced  Red  Cloud  that  the 
Sircies  had  not  numbered  more  than  seven  men.  They  had 
evidently  followed  us  for  some  time  past,  and  had  probably 
made  their  attack  as  much  because  we  were  now  within 
the  country  of  their  enemies,  the  Rocky  Mountain  Assine- 
boines,  into  which  they  did  not  wish  to  penetrate,  as  be- 
cause of  the  ground  being  favourable  for  a  surprise.  At 
least  five  out  of  the  seven  had  suffered  from  our  fire — two 
had  fallen,  and  the  traces  of  their  retreat  showed  unmistakable 
evidence  that  three  others  had  been  wounded.  That  they 
were  the  hired  assassins  of  the  trader,  there  was  little  doubt. 
The  gun  and  knife  belonging  to  one  of  the  fallen  were 
similar  in  pattern  to  those  we  had  captured  from  McDermott 
in  the  preceding  year.  He  had  evidently  outfitted  this 
party,  as  probably  he  had  done  the  same  by  many  others. 
That  the  survivors  would  fall  back  upon  their  main  camp, 
many  days'  travel  distant,  was  now  nearly  certain, 
u  2 


292  Red  Cloud. 


Nevertheless,  although  the  chances  of  immediate  molesta- 
tion were  remote,  we  were  in  haste  to  quit  a  spot  that  had 
been  so  fatal  to  our  fortunes.  As  for  myself,  I  literally  felt 
heart-broken  at  the  thought  that  I  was  no  more  to  have  in 
life  the  companionship  and  faithful  service  of  my  earliest 
friend.  Never  before  had  I  seen  death  brought  home  to 
me  with  such  vividness.  Only  yesterday  I  had  spoken  to 
Donogh  in  the  full  pride  of  his  youth  and  strength.  The  fire 
at  which  he  met  his  death  still  smouldered  in  its  ashes  ;  yet 
he  who  had  gathered  its  fuel  and  set  it  alight  was  gone,  his 
flame  of  life  extinguished;  his  gun,  bullet-bag,  and  powder- 
horn,  his  saddle  and  bridle,  the  horse  he  used  to  ride — all 
were  there,  yet  he  had  disappeared.  My  heart  was  wrung 
with  grief;  I  felt  as  though  life  had  been  a  long  dream,  and 
that  now  I  had  suddenly  awakened  to  its  grim  realities. 
Then  there  came  upon  me  a  thousand  bitter  thoughts,  and 
unavailing  regrets  of  the  long  hours  we  had  spent  together. 
Why  had  I  not  made  more  of  my  poor  friend  ?  Why  had 
I  not  treasured  those  hours  when  he  was  with  me  ?  It 
seemed  as  though  death,  in  taking  him  away  from  me 
had  taken  away  too  all  the  mist  of  selfishness,  and  that  I 
saw  clear  and  distinctly  the  worth  of  the  friendship  I  had 
lost. 

I  had  remained  for  some  time  sitting  by  the  lonely  grave, 
sunk  in  these  sad  thoughts,  when  I  felt  a  hand  laid  upon 
my  shoulder     Red  Cloud  stood  beside  me. 


We  enter  the  mountains.  293 

"  It  is  time  to  go,"  he  said.  "  Your  poor  brother's  name  is 
one  more  added  to  the  long  list  that  cry  for  vengeance." 

Mechanically  I  obeyed.  The  horses  were  already 
saddled  and  loaded. 

The  Indians  moved  silently  about;  the  light  of  our  little 
party  seemed  to  have  gone  out. 

Slowly  we  filed  off  from  the  fatal  spot,  winding  down  the 
long  incline  towards  the  mountains,  until  the  lonely  thicket 
was  lost  in  the  distance. 

About  three  days  after  this  fatal  day  we  entered  one  of  the 
gorges  that  led  into  the  mountains. 

The  scenery  had  undergone  a  complete  change.  The  trail 
led  along  the  bank  of  the  Red  Deer  river,  which  had  now 
shrunken  to  the  dimensions  of  a  small  and  shallow  stream  ; 
on  each  side  the  hills  rose  steep  and  pine-clad,  while,  as  side 
valleys  opened  upon  the  larger  gorge  along  which  we  were 
travelling,  the  eye  caught  glimpses  of  snow-clad  summits  far 
above  the  world  of  pine-trees. 

Often,  as  we  rode  along,  my  mind  kept  going  back  to  that 
fatal  night  on  the  Hand  hills.  Here  we  were  now  amid 
those  mountains  whose  fastnesses  Donogh  had  so  often 
wished  to  reach,  while  he,  poor  boy,  was  lying  out  in  the 
great  wilderness.  But  the  work  of  travel,  and  the  rough 
road  our  horses  had  now  to  follow,  kept  my  mind  engaged, 
and  gave  distraction  to  my  thoughts. 

Pursuing  our  course  for  a  couple  of  days  deeper  into  the 


294  ^^d  Cloud. 


mountains,  we  gained  at  last  a  beautiful  level  meadow,  set 
round  on  all  sides  by  lofty  hills,  backed  by  still  loftier  moun- 
tains. A  small  clear  lake  occupied  one  end  of  this  level 
plain. 

We  had  quitted  the  valley  of  the  Red  Deer  river,  and 
crossing  a  height  of  land  had  entered  the  valley  of  the  parent 
stream  of  the  Saskatchewan,  which  here,  after  passing  through 
the  lake,  foamed  down  a  ledge  of  rock,  precipitating  its 
waters  perpendicularly  from  a  great  height  into  a  deep  pool, 
with  a  roar  that  was  audible  at  the  farther  end  of  the  valley. 

Above  this  fall  a  small  rocky  island  stood,  in  the  centre  of 
the  river.  One  end  of  this  island  was  level  with  the  edge  of 
the  cataract,  the  other  was  in  smooth  water,  not  very  far  from 
where  the  river  issued  out  of  the  lake.  As  the  water  ap- 
proached the  edge  of  the  fall  it  ran  in  many  eddies  and  rapids, 
but  at  the  end  nearest  to  the  lake  the  stream  was  smooth 
enough  to  permit  a  canoe  to  reach  the  island. 

This  rocky  wedge,  set  between  the  lake  and  the  cataract, 
was  covered  with  trees,  and,  excepting  at  the  upper  end  in  the 
smooth  river,  its  sides  were  steep  and  water-worn.  I  noticed 
that  as  soon  as  we  came  in  sight  of  this  wooded  isle  Red 
Cloud's  usually  passive  face  wore  a  look  of  unwonted  interest. 

I  inquired  if  he  knew  the  spot. 

"  Know  it  ?  "  he  replied.  "  Yes,  it  is  the  only  place  I  can 
call  my  home  in  all  this  great  wilderness.  To-morrow  we  shall 
reach  it,  and  then  you  will  know  why  I  call  it  my  home." 


TJic  island,  the  Indian  s  home.  295 

We  camped  that  evening  near  the  spot  where  the  river 
came  out  of  the  lake.  There  was  a  clump  of  pine-trees  close 
at  hand,  and  before  night  had  closed  in  the  well-wielded 
axes  of  the  Sioux  and  the  Iroquois  had  felled  some  dead 
trees,  and  lopped  their  trunks  into  lengths  of  twelve  feet. 

Early  next  morning,  they  had  put  together  a  small  raft. 
Dropping  down  stream  on  this  raft,  Red  Cloud  landed  alone 
on  the  little  island.  I  had  rambled  off  to  the  upper  end  of 
the  lake  while  the  morning  was  yet  young  ;  when  I  got  back 
to  camp  I  found  the  Sioux  had  returned,  and  that  a  small 
canoe  was  moored  to  the  river  bank,  where  the  raft  had  been 
built. 

Our  mid-day  meal  over,  Red  Cloud  asked  me  to  visit  the 
island  with  him.  He  dropped  down  the  stream  as  before, 
and  steered  dexterously  into  the  small  spot  of  quiet  water 
which  lay  at  the  head  of  the  island.  I  then  noticed  what 
before  I  had  not  seen,  that  this  quiet  water  was  of  very 
limited  extent,  and  that  the  current  on  either  side  of  it  ran 
with  a  speed  that  became  momentarily  of  greater  velocity  as 
it  drew  nearer  the  rapid.  I  saw  in  fact  that  it  required 
knowledge  of  the  spot,  and  skill  in  the  use  of  the  paddle, 
to  hit  off  this  little  eddy  of  waters. 

A  small  indentation  between  two  rocks  gave  shelter  to  our 
canoe,  and  also  held  the  raft  which  Red  Cloud  had  built 
during  the  morning.  The  canoe  he  had  found  on  the  island. 
We  landed  on  the  rock,  fastened  the  canoe  to  a  tree,   and 


296  Red  Cloud. 


struck  into  the  forest  that  covered  the  entire  space.  I  could 
tell  by  the  increasing  sound  of  the  waterfall,  that  we  were 
approaching  the  end  of  the  island  which  overhung  the 
cataract.  We  soon  reached  this  spot;  a  few  old  pine-trees 
grew  upon  it ;  the  density  of  their  branches  had  destroyed  the 
undergrowth,  and  the  ground  between  the  massive  trunks 
was  clear  of  brushwood.  In  the  centre  of  this  clear  space, 
shadowed  by  the  sombre  arms  of  these  old  pines,  there  was 
a  solitary  mound.     Red  Cloud  stood  before  it. 

"  It  is  my  father's  grave,"  he  said.  . "  Eight  years 
ago  I  carried  his  bones  all  that  long  way  from  where 
he  was  killed  to  this  distant  spot.  I  had  intended 
bearing  them  with  me  wherever  I  wandered  as  aa  ever- 
present  reminder  of  the  oath  I  had  sworn,  but  on  first 
seeing  this  spot  I  selected  it  as  a  resting-place.  Here 
I  made  my  home ;  hither  have  I  come  when,  baffled  by 
my  enemy,  I  have  sought  for  a  time  rest  for  myself 
and  my  horses  ;  and  again  from  here  have  I  gone  forth  to 
seek  my  enemy,  only  to  find  him  always  too  strong  or  too 
cunning  for  me." 


297 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Signs  of  trouble — Reconnoitring — Precautions— We  retire  into 
the  island— Daylight — The  enemy  shows  himself— A  search- 
He  prepares  to  attack  the  island — A  midnight  storm — The 
raft — Aim  low  and  fire  fast — In  the  whirl  of  waters — On  the 
lip  of  the  fall — The  end  of  crime. 

When  we  got  back  to  the  camp  near  the  lake  the  scout 
had  news  that  at  once  excited  the  suspicions  of  Red  Cloud. 
He  had  gone,  he  said,  back  upon  our  trail  towards  where  we 
had  entered  the  valley,  to  look  for  one  of  our  horses  which 
had  strayed  in  that  direction.  He  had  found  the  missing 
animal,  but  during  the  search  he  had  observed  a  single  white 
wolf  standing  on  the  edge  of  a  thicket  some  distance  away. 
Endeavouring  to  approach  the  place  in  order  to  get  a  shot 
at  this  beast,  he  had  found  the  animal  gone,  and  no  trace 
of  trail  or  footmark  could  he  see,  but  he  had  noticed  the 
impression  of  a  moccasined  foot  in  the  soft  clay  of  the  thicket. 
When  he  first  had  noticed  this  solitary  wolf,  it  appeared  to 
him  to  be  standing  three  parts  within  the  thicket,  only  the 
head  and  portion  of  the  neck  being  visible. 

Such  was  the  story  which  roused  the  suspicions  of  the  Sioux. 


29S  Red  CIo2id. 


The  north  side  of  the  valley  was  bounded  by  a  wooded 
ridge,  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  trail  by  which  we  had 
approached  our  present  camp.  To  this  ridge  Red  Cloud 
directed  his  steps,  having  first  taken  the  precaution  to  have 
the  horses  driven  in  from  the  farther  end  of  the  meadow  to 
the  close  vicinity  of  the  camp,  and  our  baggage  made  ready 
for  any  sudden  shift  of  quarters  that  might  be  necessary. 
The  Iroquois  remained  in  camp ;  the  scout  was  to  join  us  on 
the  look-out  ridge. 

As  I\  '  Cloud  was  fully  convinced  that  our  movements 
were  even  now  under  the  observation  of  hostile  eyes,  he 
directed  that  we  were  to  separate  as  though  in  pursuit  of 
game,  and  by  circuitous  routes  gain  the  points  of  observation 
selected.  He  believed  that  the  object  seen  by  the  scout 
had  been  a  Sircie  disguised  under  the  head  and  skin  of  a 
white  wolf ;  these  masks  were  often  adopted  by  the  plain 
Indians,  when  reconnoitring  previous  to  an  attack.  They 
enabled  the  Indian  scut  to  approach  a  camp,  to  lurk  along 
a  ravine,  or  to  show  himself  upon  the  sky-line  of  a  hill-top, 
when  no  other  means  of  concealment  could  be  used. 

If  the  Sioux's  surmise  was  correct,  the  hostile  party  to 
which  this  wolf-scout  belonged  was  not  far  away,  and  it  was 
likely  that  ere  the  evening  closed  in  some  indication  of  its 
presence  would  be  noticeable. 

From  the  top  of  the  look-out  hill  a  view  was  obtained  of 
the  trail  leading  to  our  camp,  the  only  path  by  which  men 


Precautions  against  a  Sircies  war-party.       299 

coming  from  the  east  could  enter  the  valley  of  the  lake 
and  meadow ;  but  no  sign  of  man,  hostile  or  peaceful,  was 
visible ;  and  the  summer  winds  as  they  stole  gently  through 
the  whispering  pines,  alone  made  audible  sound  in  the 
solitude.  Nevertheless  the  suspicions  of  the  Sioux  were 
not  to  be  allayed  by  the  quiet  aspect  of  the  trail  by  which 
our  camp  could  be  approached. 

None  knew  better  than  he  that  if  the  Sircies  hac^  really 
followed  us  into  these  hills,  they  would  have  come  in  all  the 
craft  and  concealment  of  their  race,  keeping  within  the  cover 
of  the  woods  by  day,  and  moving  when  night  hid  their  pre- 
sence. He  knew  too  that  any  party  venturing  into  these 
solitudes  would  be  strong  in  numbers,  and  that  nothing  but 
the  most  powerful  incentive  could  induce  men  whose 
natural  sphere  of  life  lay  in  the  open  prairie  country,  to 
venture  among  those  rough  rocks  and  tangled  woods. 

The  day  was  yet  young ;  there  was  plenty  of  time  to  examine 
the  trail  further  towards  the  east ;  the  scout  would  push  his 
way  quietly  through  the  woods,  and  return  by  nightfall  to 
our  camp.  Red  Cloud  gave  him  a  few  directions  as  to  his 
movements,  and  we  returned  back  to  the  meadow,  to  prepare 
for  action  in  the  event  of  attack.  We  at  once  proceeded  to 
ferry  our  goods  across  to  the  island ;  the  horses  were  swum 
one  by  one  in  the  wake  of  the  canoe,  and  landed  in  the 
little  bay  between  the  rocks. 

At  this  season  of  the  year  there  was  ample  forage  for 


300  Red  Cloud 


them  among  the  rocks  and  trees,  and  in  several  places, 
where  the  soil  was  low  and  swampy,  the  goose-grass,  so 
greedily  sought  for  by  horses,  grew  plentifully. 

It  was  evening  by  the  time  we  had  finished  this  work, 
and  the  shadow  of  the  great  mountain  that  rose  between  us 
and  the  west  was  already  darkening  our  little  meadow. 
The  lake  surface  was  broken  in  a  hundred  places,  by  the 
rising  of  many  trout  at  the  midges  and  flies  brought  forth 
by  the  approach  of  night.  We  still  kept  our  fire  lighted  at 
the  place  of  our  first  camp,  but  we  were  ready  to  fall  back 
at  a  moment's  notice  upon  the  island ;  in  fact,  we  only 
awaited  the  return  of  the  scout  before  returning  to  that 
secure  resting-place  for  the  night. 

We  had  not  long  to  wait.  The  light  was  still  good  when 
his  signal-cry  sounded  from  the  entrance  to  the  valley,  and 
he  was  with  us  a  few  minutes  later.  His  news  was  soon 
told.  The  Sircies  were  in  force  below  the  ridge  which 
ended  the  valley  of  the  Red  Deer  river — they  were  in  fact 
not  six  miles  distant  He  had  counted  a  score  of  braves, 
and  there  were  others  whom  he  could  not  see.  There 
was  a  white  man  with  them — at  least  he  had  seen  an  English 
saddle  on  the  back  of  a  strong  horse  picketted  under 
the  trees. 

All  this  was  conclusive ;  our  preparations  had  not  been 
made  a  moment  too  soon ;  the  night  now  closing  around 
us  would  scarcely  pass  without  an  attacL 


We  retire  into  the  island,  301 

The  small  dug-out  canoe  just  held  three  persons.  At 
the  first  trip  the  Iroquois  and  I  landed  on  the  island,  then 
Red  Cloud  returned  to  fetch  over  the  scout,  who  had 
remained  at  our  camp.  The  Sioux  was  absent  longer  than 
I  had  expected ;  the  daylight  had  now  all  gone,  and  it 
was  too  dark  to  discern  his  movements,  but  soon 
we  saw  the  fire  burning  brightly,  and  in  its  red  reflection 
upon  the  water  I  made  out  the  canoe,  dropping  quietly 
down  for  the  island. 

Red  Cloud  and  the  scout  now  landed,  and  then  we  all 
sat  quiet  in  the  shade  of  the  trees,  waiting  for  what  the 
night  would  bring  forth.  The  hours  passed  by — nothing 
appeared ;  the  fire  still  burned  at  our  old  camp.  Save  the 
rushing  of  the  water  by  the  island  shores,  and  the  dull 
thunder  of  the  cataract  below  its  plunge,  all  was  silent. 

Three  of  us  lay  down  to  sleep.  The  Iroquois  remained 
alone  to  watch.  How  long  I  had  slept  I  could  not  say, 
but  I  was  deep  in  dreams  when  a  touch  was  laid  upon  my 
shoulder,  and  I  awoke  instantly  to  that  consciousness  to 
which  wild  life  in  the  wilderness  soon  accustoms  its 
followers. 

"  Look  out,"  whispered  Red  Cloud.  "  They  are  come  at 
last." 

I  looked  out  over  the  water,  but  I  could  see  nothing. 
It  was  yet  night,  but  the  first  faint  ray  of  light  was  in  the 
east   behind   us   as    vve  looked  from    the    island,  and   its 


302  Red  Cloud. 


indistinct  hue  made  vague  and  shadowy  the  whole  range 
of  vision.     The  fire  was  no  longer  visible. 

As  I  strove  to  pierce  the  gloom,  there  suddenly  flashed 
forth  in  the  darkness  a  long  volley  of  musketry,  and  the 
echoes  from  a  hundred  mountain  cliffs  rolled  in  tumultuous 
thunder  around  our  island ;  nor  had  they  ceased  ere  their 
reverberations  were  blended  in  the  fierce  war-cry  of  the 
Sircies,  which  pealed  forth  close  to  our  old  camp.  We  lay 
within  our  shelter  while  this  wild  storm  of  shot  and  shout 
died  away.  We  could  then  hear  a  scurrying  of  feet,  and 
voices  raised  in  tones  of  rage  and  disappointment ;  then  all 
was  again  quiet. 

The  daylight  was  now  gaining  rapidly  upon  the  darkness  ; 
soon  we  could  distinguish  figures  moving  to  and  fro  where 
our  camp  had  been,  and  then  we  could  make  out  with 
greater  precision  the  dress  and  faces  of  individual  Indians, 
some  on  the  borders  of  the  lake,  others  in  the  clump  of 
trees,  and  others  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  within  one 
hundred  paces  of  where  we  lay. 

And  now  as  the  dawn  momentarily  filled  the  valley  with 
increasing  light,  there  appeared  upon  the  scene  a  figure  which 
centred  upon  it  all  our  attention.  I  looked  at  Red  Cloud,  to 
mark  how  he  bore  himself  within  sight  of  his  arch-enemy,  for 
the  mounted  man  who  now  rode  up  to  our  camping-place 
was  none  other  than  the  villain  trader  ;  but  neither  in  feature 
nor  in  gesture  did  the  Sioux  show  symptoms  of  those  long- 


TJic  enemy  makes  a  search.  303 

cherished  feelings  which  must  have  filled  his  heart.  There, 
within  easy  rifle-shot  of  where  we  lay,  stood  this  man,  whose 
slowly  accumulated  crimes  and  long-pursued  hatred,  had 
brought  him  even  to  this  remote  resting-place  of  one  whose 
life  he  had  betrayed— to  this  home  of  him  whose  murder  he 
had  so  often  tried  to  compass  ;  yet  the  rifle  of  Red  Cloud 
remained  lowered,  and  his  eye  betokened  neither  rage  nor 
astonishment  as  he  thus  beheld  his  enemy. 

As  yet  there  seemed  to  have  occurred  to  the  war-party 
no  suspicion  that  we  had  retired  to  the  island.  Our  disap- 
pearance from  camp  was  evidently  an  event  which  they  had 
not  calculated  upon ;  and  even  now,  when  the  camp  was 
found  deserted,  while  traces  of  its  recent  occupation  were 
numerous,  they  did  not  imagine  that  we  had  done  more 
than  conceal  ourselves  in  the  surrounding  woods. 

That  our  ultimate  destruction  was  assured,  naturally  ap- 
peared certain  to  them,  for  excepting  the  trail  by  which  they 
had  entered  the  valley,  no  outlet  was  apparent  to  them  ;  and  as 
they  now  held  that  sole  means  of  egress,  a  thorough  search 
seemed  certain  to  promise  our  capture. 

They  therefore  set  to  work  at  once  when  daylight  enabled 
them  to  see  the  ground,  to  hunt  us  up  amid  the  rocks  and 
woods  that  lay  between  the  meadow  and  the  loftier  hills, 
whose  rugged  and  precipitous  sides  forbade  all  chance  of 
escape. 

At  the   upper  end   of  the   valley,   where  the  river  first 


304  R^d  Cloud. 


entered  the  level  space,  the  perpendicular  walls  of  a  canon 
prevented  horses  going  further  into  the  mountains  in  that 
direction.  It  is  true  that  by  scrambling  over  the  boulders 
and  many  rocks  which  lay  piled  on  each  side  at  the  base 
of  these  walls,  a  man  on  foot  might  force  his  way  at  low 
water;  but  at  this  time  the  snows  of  the  upper  mountains,  the 
vast  glaciers  which  here  formed  the  parent  spring  of  the  Sas- 
katchewan river,  were  pouring  forth  their  volumes  under  the 
influence  of  the  midsummer  sun,  and  the  snow-fed  river 
was  foaming  full  through  the  rocky  aperture  into  the  prairie 
valley. 

If  tliey  could  have  found  our  horses,  then  the  question  of  the 
possibility  of  our  escaping  on  foot  up  some  cleft  or  landslip  in 
the  mountain  wall  would  still  have  remained  an  open  one;  but 
wherever  we  had  got  to,  there  also  must  be  our  horses,  and 
the  horses  must  still  be  within  the  confines  of  the  valley. 
They  now  set  to  work  diligently  to  seek  us  out ;  while  some  re- 
mained near  our  old  camping-place,  the  greater  number  spread 
themselves  along  both  sides  of  the  lake.  Meantime  the  sun 
had  risen.  All  through  the  forenoon  the  search  went  on^ 
and  when  mid-day  came  there  was  not  a  spot  in  the  valley 
which  had  not  been  visited,  excepting  the  island  on  which 
we  stood.  It  was  now  that,  returning  from  their  fruitless 
quest,  they  turned  their  attention  with  more  persevering 
examination  to  the  ground  around  our  old  camp.  The  spot 
where  the  little  raft  had  been  constructed  showed  more 


TJie  enemy  resolves  to  invade  the  island. 


305 


signs  of  wood-cutting  than  the  supply  of  the  summer  camp 
would  have  necessitated ;  the  bank  of  the  river  also 
betrayed  our  trail  at  the  water's  edge.  Then  we  saw  them 
consult  together,  while  their  looks  and  gestures,  as  they 
pointed  towards  the  island,  clearly  told  us  that  the  next 
attempt  would  be  made  in  our  direction. 

Coming  down  upon  both  sides  of  the  river,  they  tried  to 
find  a  place  where  they  could  cross  the  water,  and  we  could 
see  them  endeavouring  to  peer  through  the  close-set 
branches  that  fringed  the  rocks,  for  indications  of  our 
presence.  The  central  portion  of  our  rocky  refuge  was, 
however,  more  depressed  in  level  than  the  edges,  so  that 
our  horses  would  have  been  quite  concealed  from  view 
even  had  the  bordering  screen  of  brushwood  been  less 
dense. 

When  they  found  the  current  flowing  on  both  sides  of 
the  island  was  everywhere  too  rapid  to  permit  a  man  to  cross, 
we  saw  them  gather  again  about  our  old  camping-place,  and 
again  vve  could  discern  by  their  actions  that  the  idea  of 
making  a  descent  upon  the  point  of  the  island  above  the 
rapid — the  point  where  we  ourselves  had  landed— had  not 
escaped  their  notice. 

But  to  think  of  the  descent  was  one  thing,  to  carry  it 
out  was  another.  No  man  could  hope  to  swim  to  that  point, 
and  carry  his  life  to  the  island,  if  the  men  whom  they  sought 
were  there ;  on  the  other  hand,  a  landing  in  force  from  a 

X 


3o6  R^d  Cloud. 


raft  would  promise  far  greater  chance  of  security  even  in 
daylight,  and  if  made  at  night  there  was  no  reason  why 
they  could  not  gain  the  island  without  loss. 

That  they  reasoned  thus  was  evident  to  us,  for  they  now 
set  to  work  to  cut  down  several  trees,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  day  was  spent  by  them  in  drawing  out  the  felled  tree 
trunks,  and  putting  them  together  in  a  raft.  That  this  raft 
was  to  be  a  large  one  we  could  tell  by  the  number  of  trees 
carried  out  to  the  place  at  which  it  was  being  built.  So  the 
day  passed  away,  the  long  evening  closed  in  twilight,  and 
darkness  at  last  lay  upon  the  scene. 

The  night  came  very  dark.  The  shadow  cast  by  the 
lofty  mountains  was  rendered  still  more  obscure  by  a  thick 
canopy  of  clouds  which  drifted  across  the  sky  as  the  night 
closed  in.  At  first  this  veil  of  clouds  came  unaccompanied 
by  wind  ;  but  soon  we  heard  a  noise  of  pine-trees  swaying 
in  the  upper  valleys,  and  later  came  the  crash  of  storm,  as 
the  thunder  tempest  drew  nearer  to  our  glen. 

Intense  as  were  the  feelings  of  excitement  with  which  I 
looked  forward  to  the  night  that  had  now  begun,  I  never- 
theless could  not  help  almost  forgetting  the  peril  of  our 
position,  and  the  proximity  of  our  enemies,  in  the  stupen- 
dous spectacle  of  the  warfare  of  the  elements  to  which  we 
were  now  spectators. 

At  first  the  rapidly  succeeding  flashes  of  lightning  were 
at  the  farther  side  of  the  mountains  that  encircled  our  valley ; 


A  midnight  storm.  307 


but  as  the  storm  rolled  on,  broad  sheets  of  flame  filled  the 
vault  above  us,  and  streams  of  jagged  fire  poured  down  on 
crag  and  pinnacled  pine ;  while  the  crash  of  thunder, 
multiplied  tenfold  by  echo,  seemed  to  shake  the  massive 
mountains  to  their  base.  At  last  the  full  fury  of  the  storm 
burst  upon  us  :  the  rain  splashed  down  in  blinding  torrents, 
the  trees  swayed  wildly  in  the  rush  of  the  tempest,  and 
the  roar  of  the  cataract  grew  louder  as  the  swollen  waters, 
hissing  under  the  rainfall,  poured  down  past  our  island. 

It  must  have  been  some  time  after  midnight,  when  the 
fury  of  the  storm  having  spent  itself,  there  came  a  lull  in 
the  wind  and  rain.  Everything  was  still  dark— it  was  the 
gloom  before  the  dawn  :  it  was  also  the  hour  at  which  we 
might  expect  our  enemies  to  attempt  a  landing  upon  the 
island. 

We  had  lain  exposed  to  all  the  rain  and  storm  during  the 
night.  We  did  not  want  for  food,  for  we  had  the  meat  of  an 
elk,  killed  by  the  Iroquois  when  we  first  entered  the  valley ; 
but  as  a  fire  lighted  on  the  island  would  have  been  seen  by 
the  Sircies,  we  had  of  course  to  lie  exposed  to  the  violence 
of  the  tempest,  without  chance  of  drying  our  dripping  clothes 
or  of  warming  our  chilled  bodies. 

At  first  I  had  thought  little  of  these  hardships ;  the  ex- 
pected attack  had  kept  me  fully  awake  and  on  the  alert.  But 
now,  as  the  small  hours  of  the  night  drew  on,  a  sense  of 
drowsiness  began  to  overcome  me,  and  insensibly  I  found 
X  2 


308  Red  Cloud. 


myself  falling  into  fitful  snatches  of  sleep  upon  the  wet  rock 
against  which  I  was  lying.  In  these  brief  moments  of 
slumber,  the  outward  surroundings  of  our  position,  the  rush 
of  the  river,  the  drip  of  leaves,  the  occasional  flash  of  still 
vivid  lightnings,  and  the  rumble  of  the  receding  thunder,  all 
found  semblance  in  a  vague  sense  of  the  danger  that  menaced 
us,  and  I  would  start  to  sudden  wakefulness,  to  find  the 
reality  and  the  dream  so  much  alike  that  it  was  difficult  to 
distinguish  one  from  the  other. 

I  was  in  tins  state,  the  result  of  overstrung  toil  and 
anxiety,  when  I  felt  a  hand  laid  upon  my  shoulder.  I  started 
to  full  wakefulness.  Red  Cloud  whispered  in  my  ear, 
"  Make  ready ;  they  are  coming  down  upon  us."  I  seized  my 
gun,  and  looked  out  over  the  edge  of  the  rock  behind  which 
I  had  been  lying.  There  was  nothing  to  be  seen  ;  all  seemed 
inky  darkness ;  the  rushing  river  was  alone  audible. 

All  at  once  there  came  a  flash  of  lightning  ;  it  burst  from 
a  cloud  that  had  rolled  down  the  valley  behind  us.  It  lighted 
up  the  rocks,  the  trees,  and  the  whole  valley  above  us.  For 
an  instant  the  surface  of  the  river  shone  out  in  dazzling 
brilliancy,  and  upon  it,  full  in  the  centre  of  the  stream, 
flowing  with  the  current  right  in  the  direction  of  the  spot 
where  we  were  lying,  was  the  raft,  crowded  with  dark  figures. 

This  flash  of  light  was  only  instantaneous,  but  it  sufficed 
to  reveal  to  me  the  full  reality  of  our  position. 

Immediately  behind  where  we  lay  the  ground  rose,  and 


17//-"'  WMMWW 


'    ;l 


i 


n 


^'-i 

Oj 

^^^9 

^w^ 

^^^ 

f     T^^^^M 

m  ^^'^    '^^ 

^^ 

^™ 

jW^/w/^ 

Sh/??       ' 

'^7 

^^^ 

Jc?       '  I 

^'\,^ 

m/i^** 

^^^ 

^>'// 

1^ 

":-^::^^ 

^"^.1 

Aim  low,  and  fire  fast.' 


"  A  im  low,  and  fire  fast. "  309 

the  top  of  the  high  bank  held  a  few  lofty  pine-trees,  whose 
dark  cones  thrown  out  against  the  eastern  sky,  now  streaked 
with  the  first  pale  hue  of  coming  day,  gave  the  Sircies  a 
point  to  steer  for  amid  the  darkness. 

At  the  moment  of  the  flash  the  raft  appeared  to  be  dis- 
tant from  the  island  about  100  or  150  yards.  We  were  all 
lying  behind  the  same  rock,  which  was  immediately  over 
the  landing-place,  and  only  a  few  feet  raised  above  it. 

A  faint  glimmer  of  light  fell  now  upon  the  water ;  we 
could  distinguish  the  surface  some  fifty  yards  away,  where  it 
was  still  glassy  and  unbroken ;  beyond  that  all  was  still  in 
gloom. 

"When  you  see  the  raft,"  said  Red  Cloud,  "I  will  give 
the  word,  and  then  fire  at  it  as  quickly  as  you  can." 

During  the  storm  we  had  kept  the  locks  of  our  guns 
carefully  covered  with  leather  hoods  ;  these  had  been  now 
removed,  and  all  was  ready.  With  eyes  levelled  upon  the 
streak  of  light  water  we  waited  for  the  Sioux's  word. 

Out  of  the  darkness  into  the  lighter  water  came  the  raft, 
faint  and  shadowy. 

"  Aim  low,  and  fire  fast,"  said  the  Sioux. 
My  double  gun  was  stretched  along  the  top  of  the  rock. 
I  dropped  the  muzzle  well  below  the  line  of  the  approach- 
ing floating  object ;  then  I  pulled  first  onetrigger,  and  then  the 
other.  To  my  right  and  left  shots  rang  out  in  quick  succession. 
Again  I  loaded ;  and  again  I  fired.  We  could  see  nothing  now, 


310  Red  Cloud. 


for  the  smoke  hung  in  the  damp  night  air.  Then  Red  Cloud 
called  out  to  stop  firing.  Eagerly  we  looked  through  the 
murky  atmosphere  where  the  raft  had  beea 

It  was  no  longer  in  the  direct  line  of  our  landing-place ; 
it  had  drifted  to  the  left-hand  side,  and  was  now  in  rapid 
water  but  still  close  to  the  rock,  going  down  stream  with 
momentarily  increasing  speed.  We  could  see  many  confused 
figures,  trying  with  might  and  main  to  get  the  unwieldy 
craft,  to  the  side  of  our  rock.  It  was  only  for  a  short 
second,  and  then  the  raft  was  borne  along  into  still  rougher 
and  faster  waters,  to  be  caught  in  the  remorseless  grasp  of 
the  furious  torrent  above  the  falls,  now  swollen  by  the 
thunder  deluge  of  the  night. 

We  could  see  no  more,  the  trees  hid  it  from  sight;  but 
we  had  no  need  for  further  eye-witness  or  ear-witness  of  the 
fate  of  raft  and  crew.  Once  in  the  grasp  of  that  torrent, 
there  could  be  no  escape.  High  above  the  roar  of  the 
cataract  one  loud  cry  did  indeed  reach  us  a  very  few  seconds 
later,  and  then  there  was  silence,  only  broken  by  the  swirl  of 
eddy,  the  rush  of  water  against  the  rock,  and  the  dull  thun- 
der of  the  fall. 

As  the  dawn  broadened  into  day  I  went  down  to  the 
lower  end  of  the  island.  From  the  grave  of  the  Sioux 
chief  the  ground  sloped  steeply  up,  until  it  dropped  abruptly 
to  the  rapid,  forming  a  bold  front  of  rock  immediately  over 
the  edge  of  the  fall.     The  top  of  this  rock  stood  out  bare  of 


In  the  whirl  of  zvaicrs.  •  311 

trees ;  beneath  it  was  the  rapid,  the  edge  of  the  fall,  and  the 
seething  whirlpools  below  the  cataract 

Red  Cloud  had  preceded  me  to  this  place;  when  I  reached 
the  grave  I  saw  him  on  the  bare  summit  beyond,  looking 
fixedly  down  upon  the  fall.  His  arms  were  folded  across 
his  breast.  I  was  beside  him  a  moment  later.  My  eyes, 
following  his  fixed  glance,  rested  upon  a  strange  spectacle. 
Almost  in  the  centre  of  the  fall  a  rock  stood,  right  on  the 
edge  of  the  descending  flood.  I  had  seen  it  on  the  previous 
day,  when  it  had  been  more  exposed  to  view ;  now  the 
rising  water  had  covered  three  parts  of  its  surface,  and 
only  the  top  showed  above  the  flood.  On  this  rock  there 
was  a  figure. 

The  light  was  still  too  indistinct  to  allow  us  to  discern 
features,  we  could  only  see  that  some  wretched  creature  was 
clinging  to  the  rock,  on  which  he  had  been  cast  at  the 
moment  the  fated  raft  had  taken  its  plunge  into  the  dark 
abyss. 

But  although  I  was  unable  at  this  moment  to  identify 
this  unfortunate  castaway,  there  flashed  across  my  mind,  at 
the  first  instant  of  my  seeing  him,  the  thought  that  it  was 
the  trader  McDermott  who  was  before  me  in  this  terrible 
position,  now  hopelessly  hanging  between  life  and  death. 

For  a  glance  at  the  raging  mass  of  water  was  sufifit.ient 
to  tell  me  that  escape  was  impossible,  and  that  no  hope  of 
extrication  remained  to  the  doomed  man. 


312  Red  Cloicd. 


The  sight  filled  me  with  a  strange  dread.  I  feared  to  think 
that  it  was  our  enemy,  our  bitter  enemy,  who  had  thus  been 
reserved,  as  it  seemed,  for  a  death  more  awful  than  any  that 
had  already  overtaken  the  poor  dupes  of  his  evil  counsel 
and  the  recipients  of  his  bribes.  Then  I  thought  of  my  poor 
murdered  Donogh,  and  my  heart  grew  hard  ;  and  then  again 
came  the  whispering  of  a  better  nature,  and  the  terrible 
spectacle  before  me  chased  away  the  promptings  of  revenge. 
That  the  figure  was  really  that  of  McDermott  there  could 
no  longer  be  any  doubt.  Turning  his  head  wildly  towards 
either  shore  in  the  vain  hope  of  obtaining  assistance,  he  had 
now  observed  us  as  we  stood  on  the  proj[ecting  rock,  and 
his  voice,  raised  in  cries  for  assistance,  reached  us,  even 
through  the  din  of  the  cataract  and  above  the  whirl  of 
waters. 

"  Help,  help  !  "  he  cried,  in  tones  that  rang  with  the  terror 
and  the  horror  that  had  seized  upon  him.  But  the  merciless 
torrent  rolled  down  in  a  volume  ever  increasing,  still  rising 
higher,  and  momentarily  breaking  the  frail  link  that  bound 
him  to  life.  The  sight  was  all  too  much  for  me.  I  forgot  every- 
thing of  the  past  in  the  horrible  fact  before  me  of  a  human 
being  in  this  awful  extremity,  and  turning  to  the  Sioux  I 
exclaimed, — 

"  Can  we  save  him?    Can  we  reach  him  by  any  means  ?" 

But  I  had  little  counted  on  the  real  depth  of  the  animosity 
with  which  Red  Cloud  regarded  his  enemy. 


On  the  lip  of  the  fall.  313 

"  Save  him  ?  Reach  him  ?  "  he  cried.  "  Do  you  imagine 
that  if  I  could  reach  him  I  would  let  yon  torrent  rob  me  of 
his  death  ?  " 

As  he  spoke,  his  eyes  glared,  his  frame  shook  with  passion, 
and  in  the  grasp  which  he  laid  upon  my  arm  his  fingers 
closed  in  iron  strength.  Wild  with  rage,  he  let  go  my  arm 
only  to  seize  his  gun,  as  he  cried  in  tones  of  savage  exulta- 
tion,— 

"  Ho,  villain  trader,  who  is  it  to  whom  you  cry  for  help  ? 
It  is  the  son  of  him  whom  you  sold  to  a  cruel  death.  It  is 
he  whose  life  you  have  sought  through  years  of  blood.  It 
is  Red  Cloud,  the  Sioux.  Behold,  you  are  at  the  grave  of 
the  man  you  sold  and  murdered.  His  spirit  is  in  the  air 
that  surrounds  you,  in  the  trees  that  mock  at  your  agony, 
in  those  waters  that  are  dragging  you  to  death.  But  they 
shall  not  take  you  from  me.  You  shall  die,  villain,  by  my 
hand." 

He  raised  his  rifle.  His  hand  was  now  steady,  his  eye 
seemed  calm ;  another  instant,  and  the  trader's  death  would 
have  been  certain ;  but  I  could  stand  it  no  longer. 

"  Forbear,"  I  cried,  striking  up  the  levelled  barrel.  "  He 
is  in  the  hands  of  Him  who  has  said.  Vengeance  is  Mine. 
See,  through  all  these  long  years  you  strove  to  compass 
his  punishment,  and  you  failed ;  but  now  here,  within  sight 
of  the  grave  of  his  victim,  a  mightier  Power  has  brought 
him  to  his  doom." 


314  Red  Cloud. 


Red  Cloud  dropped  his  rifle — a  deep  shadow  passed  over 
his  face. 

"You  are  right,"  he  said  slowly.  "We  are  but  the 
children  of  the  Great  Spirit.  We  see  the  beginning  of  the 
trail ;  He  alone  can  foresee  the  end." 

While  he  thus  spoke  the  rising  waters  had  completed 
their  task  ;  the  trader  had  been  swept  into  the  terrible  abyss, 
and  only  a  splash  of  spray  shooting  outwards  from  the  lip 
of  the  fall  marked  the  presence  of  the  sunken  rock. 


315 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  beginning  of  the  end — Deeper  into  the  mountains — The 
western  slope — On  the  edge  of  the  snow — The  golden  valley — 
It  is  all  mine — Night  thoughts — Last  words — I  see  him  no 
more. 

Two  days  passed  away.  They  had  been  days  of  peace 
and  rest.  No  further  attempt  had  been  made  to  molest 
us.  Awed  by  the  terrible  fate  of  so  many  of  their  bravest 
men  and  leaders,  who  had  lost  their  lives  on  the  raft  over 
the  cataract,  the  Sircies  had  abandoned  the  valley  and 
returned  to  their  own  country. 

When  the  fact  of  their  departure  was  fully  ascertained 
by  the  scout,  we  moved  out  again  to  the  meadow  by  the 
lake  ;  but  before  we  quitted  the  island  Red  Cloud  had  a 
long  conversation  with  me  regarding  our  future  movements. 
Seated  by  his  father's  grave  on  the  evening  next  but  one 
after  the  events  recorded  in  the  last  chapter  had  taken 
place,  he  began  by  telling  me  that  the  object  of  his  life 
was  nov/  achieved,  and  that  henceforth  he  was  careless  as 
to  what  might  happen  to  him,  or  whither  he  would  go.  He 
would  probably  turn  his  face  towards  the  south  again,  and 


3i6  Red  Cloud. 


join  some  scattered  remnant  of  his  tribe  at  the  headwaters 
of  the  Platte,  or  in  the  country  of  the  Yellowstone. 

I  told  him  that  it  was  all  the  same  to  me  which  way  he 
arned  his  steps ;  I  was  ready  to  follow  him. 

But  he  replied  that  it  must  not  be.  Already  his  com. 
panionship,  he  said,  had  cost  me  heavy.  My  faithful 
friend  had  lost  his  life,  my  own  had  often  been  in  hazard. 
He  had  still  many  enemies.  The  Sircies,  the  Bloods,  the 
Blackfeet,  and  the  Peaginoos,  would  all  bear  to  him  in 
future  an  enmity,  not  the  less  active  because  it  was  based 
upon  wTongs  done  to  him  by  them  in  the  first  instance. 
For  himself,  it  mattered  little  now  what  his  enemies  might 
do ;  his  father's  spirit  could  rest  in  peace.  But  for  me  it  was 
different.  I  had  been  a  true  brother  to  him ;  he  could  no 
longer  lead  me  into  danger.  There  was  yet  one  place  to 
which  we  would  travel  on  the  same  road,  and  when  that 
place  was  reached  we  would  part. 

Such  was  the  substance  of  what  he  said  to  me. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  I  felt  terribly  cast  down  by  this 
threatened  ending  of  our  companionship.  It  seemed  im- 
possible to  think  of  life  without  Red  Cloud.  True,  only 
a  year  had  elapsed  since  he  and  I  had  met,  but  that  year 
had  been  equal  to  five.  From  him  I  had  learnt  all  I  knew 
about  the  prairie  and  its  wild  things.  Would  it  be  possible 
for  me  now  to  face  its  chances  and  its  trials  alone  ?  And 
where  else  could  I  go  ?    I  had  literally  no  home. 


Deeper  into  the  mountains.  317 

This  wild  life,  while  it  taught  the  lessons  of  bravery, 
hardihood,  endurance,  activity,  and  energy,  did  not  bring 
worldly  wealth  to  those  who  followed  it.  I  had  come  to 
the  prairie  poor.  I  would  leave  it  even  poorer  still.  As  these 
thoughts  crowded  upon  me,  my  face  no  doubt  betrayed  to 
the  Sioux  their  presence.     He  spoke  in  a  cheerier  tone, — 

"  Our  parting  time,"  he  said,  "  has  not  yet  come.  Wait 
until  it  is  at  hand,  and  the  path  you  will  have  to  follow  will 
be  clearer  to  you." 

Next  day,  as  I  have  said,  we  quitted  the  island,  and 
made  our  camp  again  by  the  lake.  On  the  following  day 
we  packed  our  horses,  and  moved  off  to  the  upper  end  of 
the  valley.  I  had  thought  that  there  was  no  outlet  in  that 
direction,  but  in  this  I  had  been  mistaken,  for  shortly  after 
mid-day  we  came  to  where  a  steep  face  of  cliff  rose  before 
us.  The  front  of  this  slanting  wall  held  a  zigzag  narrow 
path,  just  wide  enough  for  a  single  horse  or  man  to  move 
along  it.  Its  beginning  in  the  valley  was  hidden  by  a  growth 
of  firs  and  underbush,  and  was  known  only  to  Red  Cloud. 
We  ascended  by  this  trail,  and  having  gained  the  top  of 
the  cliff,  hit  upon  a  well-defined  path,  winding  in  and  out 
between  wooded  hills.  Following  this  for  some  hours,  we 
reached  before  sunset  a  wild  glen  high  up  in  the  moun- 
tains. 

On  the  next  day  we  followed  up  this  glen  until  evening, 
and  camped   amid   some   dwarf  fir-trees  at  a  spot   where 


3i8  Red  Cloud. 


a  small  spring  trickled  from  the  hill-side  and  flowed  out 
towards  the  west.  All  the  other  streams  had  flowed  eastwards, 
but  we  were  now  on  the  "  divide,"  and  this  westward-flow- 
ing spring  was  one  of  the  parent  rills  of  some  mighty 
Pacific  river. 

The  snow-line  was  not  very  far  above  our  camping-place  j 
we  could  see  the  mountain  sheep  upon  a  bare  ridge  of  hills ; 
and  the  "  bleating  "  cry  of  the  ptarmigan  reached  our  ears 
when,  next  morning,  the  sunrise  was  glistening  on  the 
snowy  summits  around  us. 

We  remained  at  this  camp  all  that  day.  The  scout  and 
the  Iroquois  set  out  for  a  long  hunt  after  mountain 
sheep,  and  Red  Cloud  asked  me  to  go  with  him  in  another 
direction-  No  one  stayed  to  watch  the  camp,  for  we  were 
now  high  above  the  usual  haunts  of  ;nen,  where  the  great 
hill-tops  dwelt  in  utter  loneliness.  We  reached,  after  a 
toilsome  walk,  a  deep  secluded  valley,  opening  upon  the  one 
that  held  our  camp. 

A  ragged  forest  of  pine-trees  fringed  its  sides,  through 
which  we  pushed  our  way  for  a  considerable  distance.  At 
length,  the  Sioux  began  to  look  around  him,  as  though  he 
was  seeking  for  some  landmark,  or  spot  known  to  him  in 
other  times,  and  once  of  twice  he  looked  to  the  right  or 
left  for  some  remembered  mountain  peak  by  which  to  mark 
his  whereabouts. 

The  valley  had  now  closed  in,  until  it  was  only  a  narrow 


The  goldeji  valley.  319 


cleft  between  steep  overhanging  cliffs.  It  looked  as  though 
some  long  ago  convulsion  of  nature  had  split  open  this 
fissure,  over  which  in  time  had  grown  a  sparse  old  forest 
Large  stone  rocks  and  debris  half-imbedded  in  the  earth, 
cumbered  the  floor  of  this  valley.  With  a  few  strokes  of 
his  small  axe  Red  Cloud  now  cut  down  a  dry  pine 
stick,  off  which  he  knocked  the  side  branches ;  then  he  sat 
down  on  one  of  the  rocks,  and  said,  "The  valley  which 
holds  our  camp  leads  down  to  the  west  side  of  the  mountain. 
If  you  follow  it  down  for  three  days  you  would  come  to  a 
river  flowing  for  a  time  towards  the  north,  then  bending 
west,  and  at  last  turning  south,  until  it  falls  into  the  sea.  Far 
down  on  that  river,  on  the  sandbanks  and  bars  of  its 
course,  there  are  many  white  men  at  work.  They  are  wash- 
ing the  sand  and  the  gravel  for  a  yellow  dust ;  that  yellow 
dust  is  gold.  They  have  killed  the  Indians,  who  lived  in 
that  part  of  the  country  since  the  world  began,  but  who 
thought  more  about  the  salmon  in  the  river  than  of  the 
yellow  dust  that  lay  amongst  its  sands.  The  water  that 
carried  that  gold  to  these  sand-bars,  came  from  this 
mountain  range  where  we  now  are,  the  gold  came  from 
it  too." 

As  he  spoke  he  began  to  wedge  the  pine  stick  between 
a  fragment  of  rotk  and  the  bank  to  which  it  partly  adhered. 
The  stone,  loosened  from  its  place,  rolled  down  to  a  lower 
level.     Where  it  had  been,  there  lay  exposed  to  view  a 


320  Red  Cloud. 


hollow  space,  in  which  a  number  of  dull  yellow  lumps  were 
seen,  mixed  with  white  stones  and  withered  pine-moss. 

Red  Cloud  laid  his  stick  upon  this  hollow  in  the  darker 
rock. 

"  Look,"  he  said,  ''  there  is  the  yellow  dust  for  which  the 
white  man  fights,  and  robs,  and  kills.  There  it  is  in  plenty 
— not  in  dust,  but  in  stones  and  lumps  ;  take  it.  A  white 
man  without  that  yellow  stone  is  like  an  Indian  who  has 
no  buffalo.  Take  it,  my  friend.  You  have  been  a  brother  to 
me  ;  you  have  fought  for  me,  you  have  lost  much  for  me  : 
here  is  all  I  have  to  give  you.  Around  where  we  stand 
this  gold  lies  thick  among  these  rocks.  Five  years  ago  an 
old  Shuswap  Indian,  who  had  once  been  in  the  mining 
camps  of  the  lower  country,  showed  me  this  spot,  which  he 
had  long  kept  secret,  dreading  lest  the  white  man  should 
find  it  out,  and  come  here  to  kill  the  Indians  as  he  had  done 
elsewhere.  That  old  Shuswap  is  dead,  and  I  alone  know  of 
this  place.  See !  all  around  you  these  white  veins  run  through 
the  rocks !  Look  up  overhead,  you  will  see  them  glistening  in 
the  sun !  See  below,  where  the  dry  stream-bed  is  choked 
with  the  broken  masses,  and  the  golden  lumps  lie  thickly 
about !  In  a  few  hours  you  can  knock  out  from  these  crum- 
bling pieces  gold  enough  to  load  a  horse  with.  It  is  all  yours. 
To  me  it  would  be  of  no  use.  I  would  not  track  the  moose 
better  if  I  had  it ;  my  aim  with  my  arrow  or  riHe  would  not  be 
truer,  my  eye  would  not  see  clearer,  my  arm  would  not  be 


zrr:z:::z:aZ^-o^^'^  ■-  -  >--:  *'^,', '-  ""■""  ■"  """■ """ 


//  is  all  mine. 


321 


stronger ;  but  you  are  nothing  if  you  have  it  not.  All  your 
courage,  your  friendship,  your  energy,  will  count  for  little  if 
you  have  not  plenty  of  these  yellow  stones.  There,  fill  this 
saddle-bag  to-day  ;  to-morrow  we  will  come  here  again,  and 
then  on  the  next  day  we  will  move  away.  Where  the  valley 
divides  below  our  camp,  our  paths  in  life  must  separate." 

I  seemed  to  be  in  a  dream  as  I  listened  to  all  this.  I 
looked  around,  and  saw  plainly  enough  the  truth  of  what  he 
said.  There,  running  in  every  direction  through  the  rocks, 
were  the  white  seams  of  qUartz ;  and  thick  amid  their  snowy 
surface  shone  the  rich  yellow  lumps  of  gold.  A  fe\y  yards 
away,  where  the  splintered  rocks  lay  piled  together,  small 
nuggets  lay  mixed  with  gravel  and  broken  stones ;  and  in 
the  hollow  beneath  the  stone  which  he  had  at  first  moved 
from  its  position,  was  the  hoard,  long  since  gathered  and 
hidden  there  by  the  old  Indian  who  had  discovered  the 
place.  And  now  all  this  was  mine — mine  to  do  what  I  liked 
with.  I  who  but  a  day  since  was  a  poor  wanderer,  possess- 
ing only  a  horse,  a  gun,  and  a  few  items  of  prairie  trappings, 
was  now  the  owner  of  this  golden  glen,  with  enough  to 
purchase  all  Glencar  twice  over.  And  yet  I  was  not  elated 
at  the  sudden  change  in  my  fortunes.  I  saw  that  the  end 
of  my  wild  life  had  come.  I  saw  the  future,  with  its  smoke 
of  cities,  its  crowds  chained  to  the'  great  machine  called 
civilization,  pulling  slowly  along  the  well-beaten  read.  No 
more  the  great  wilderness ;  no  more  those  vast  and  gorgeous 

y 


322  Red  Cloud. 


sunsets ;  no  more  my  companionship  with  this  strange  lonely 
man. 

The  Sioux  read  my  thoughts.  "  You  think  the  wild  life 
would  be  better  than  this  gold  I  have  given  you.  You  look 
upon  your  life  as  closed.  My  friend,  you  are  wrong.  Your 
life  is  still  all  before  you.  You  are  only  setting  out  upon 
its  prairies.  Many  long  years  from  now,  when  you  are  in 
sight  of  the  I>*Iountains  of  the  Setting  Sun,  you  will  know 
that  I,  Red  Cloud  the  Sioux,  showed  you  the  right  trail, 
though  he  could  not  follow  it  himself.  We  cannot  change 
our  colours.  The  red  man  cannot  give  up  the  wilderness ; 
he  dies  amid  the  city  and  the  fenced  field.  You  cannot 
make  this  wild  life  your  own,  even  though  you  may  wish  to 
do  so.  You  have  other  work  to  do ;  you  must  go  back 
and  do  it." 

"  And  you  ?  "  I  said,  rousing  myself  from  the  dream  into 
which  I  had  fallen,  "will  you  not  come  with  me,  and 
share  the  wealth  you  have  given  me  ?  With  the  hundredth 
part  of  the  gold  lying  around  us  here,  we  can  traverse  the 
earth  from  side  to  side.  There  are  vast  spaces  in  other 
lands  as  well  as  in  this  one.  Asia  has  wilds  as  lonely  as 
America.  There  are  sky-bounded  plains  in  Southern  Africa, 
where  the  wild  animals  roam  in  savage  freedom.  Come 
with  me,  and  we  will  seek  these  huge  horizons,  far  away 
from  the  bustle  of  crowds  and  the  smoke  of  cities." 

He  shook  his  head.     "  My  brother,"  he  said,  "  it  would 


Return  to  camp.  323 


not  do.  The  great  prairies  are  dying;  the  buffalo  are  going. 
The  red  man  must  pass  away  too.  Come,  let  us  to  work 
while  there  is  yet  time." 

He  began  to  collect  together  several  pieces  of  gold  in 
the  hollow  where  the  old  Shuswap  had  made  his  store. 
When  many  pounds'  weight  had  been  gathered,  he  filled 
two  saddle-bags ;  but  there  was  still  remaining  enough  to 
fill  two  more  leather  wallets.  The  Shuswap's  store  held 
pieces  of  pure  gold  of  every  shape  and  size — some  flattened 
pieces,  others  rugged  knobs  like  walnuts,  and  rounded 
nuggets  as  large  as  eggs. 

It  was  indeed  a  wonderful  sight,  all  this  treasure  lying 
hidden  away  in  this  remote  and  desolate  valley,  thousands 
of  feet  above  the  sea  level !  "  Curious  ! "  I  thought.  "  Man 
struggles  and  strives  for  this  metal,  lives  for  it,  dies  for  it, 
forgets  every  other  pursuit,  gives  up  health  for  it ;  and  here 
it  lies  a  stone  amid  other  stones.  The  winds  blow  heedlessly 
upon  it ;  the  sun  looks  down  in  summer ;  the  snow  covers 
it  in  winter,  and  the  pine-tree  rustles  in  the  evening  breeze 
unmindful  of  its  presence." 

The  sun  was  getting  down  behind  the  western  ridges  as 
we  started  on  our  way  back  to  camp  laden  with  our  golden 
loads.  "When  we  reached  the  camp  the  two  Indians  had 
returned,  both  bringing  loads  of  mountain  mutton,  the  result 
of  their  hunt.  Red  Cloud  said  nothing  to  them  about  our 
day's  work.    The  fewer  persons  who  knew  the  secret  of  the 


324  Red  Cloud. 


Golden  Valley,  the  better  would  it  be,  he  thought,  for  man- 
kind in  general,  and  for  Indians  in  particular.  So  we  ate 
our  supper  of  wild  mutton  that  night,  and  lay  down  under 
the  stars,  wrapped  in  our  robes ;  but  all  the  golden  wealth 
that  lay  beside  me  could  not  reconcile  me  to  accept  with 
contentment  the  prospect  of  abandoning  this  wild  roving 
life  for  the  smoother  roads  and  softer  beds  of  civilized 
existence. 

For  a  long  v/hile  I  tried  in  vain  to  sleep ;  my  mind  was 
,  dwelling  too  strongly  upon  the  events  of  the  preceding  day 
to  allow  my  eyes  to  close  in  rest.  Our  camp  lay  facing 
towards  the  east;  right  opposite,  a  great  tooth-shaped  moun- 
tain top  lifted  itself  high  into  the  starlit  heavens.  The  stars, 
wondrously  clear  in  the  transparent  atmosphere  of  our  lofty 
position,  rose  from  behind  the  triple  peaks  of  this  giant. 
I  lay  watching  them  as  the  night  wore  on ;  at  last  there 
came  one  lustrous  star;  right  between  the  forked  peaks  it 
rose,  throbbing  in  many-coloured  rays  of  light,  until  it  looked 
like  a  gigantic  diamond  glistening  in  the  icy  crown  of  the 
mountain  king.  Then  I  fell  asleep,  and  dreamt  that  I  had 
scaled  the  summits  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  was  looking 
aown  upon  the  great  prairies  of  eternity. 

The  following  day  was  a  repetition  of  the  one  that  pre- 
ceded it.  Again  we  sought  .the  golden  valley,  and  again  we 
returned  to  camp  with  loads  of  the  precious  metal.  The 
whole  treasure  when  packed  in  wallets  made  a  load  just 


Another  visit  to  the  golden  valley.  325 

sufficient  for  one  horse  to  carry.  Red  Cloud  did  the  work 
of  packing  the  loads  himself. 

All  was  completed  early  on  the  morning  of  the  second 
day,  and  quitting  our  high  camp,  we  began  to  descend  the 
valley  in  a  western  direction.  We  soon  came  in  sight  of 
the  low  country  upon  that  side.  It  was  different  in  every 
aspect  to  the  prairie  region  of  the  east  There  the  green 
meadows  had  spread  out  into  measureless  distance,  here 
ridge  after  ridge  of  pine-trees  stretched  away  into  the  west. 
Many  a  mgged  range  of  mountain  rose  amid  the  wilderness 
of  pines,  and  bold  summits  of  naked  rock,  or  snow  patch 
glistened,  above  the  sombre  world  of  endless  forest 

Winding  along  a  descending  trail  we  often  lost  sight  of 
this  panorama,  as  some  projecting  ridge  of  our  mountain 
closed  the  outward  view. 

By  sunset  we  had  reached  a  spot  where  the  trail  forked — 
one  branch  descending  still  westward  towards  the  mining 
camp  on  the  Fraser  river,  the  other  bearing  away  in  a 
northern  direction. 

Here  we  camped.  We  had  come  down  many  hundreds 
of  feet  during  the  day.  The  forest  growth  was  large  and 
lofty,  and  the  pine  grouse  and  the  partridges  were  again 
around  us.  Far  down  in  the  plain  a  light  haze  of  smoke 
hung  above  the  tree  tops. 

On  the  next  morning  we  were  to  separate.  The  Iroquois 
and  the  scout  would  accompany  me  to  the  first  mining  camp, 


326  Red  Cloud. 


from  whence  they  would  recross  the  mountains  to  their 
own  peoples.  Red  Cloud  would  take  the  northern  trail  to 
the  Athabasca  valley.  The  preparations  were  soon  ready, 
but  we  delayed  the  moment  of  parting  to  the  last.  At  length 
Red  Cloud  rose,  and  began  to  unfasten  his  horse  from  the 
tree  to  which  it  had  been  tied.    It  was  the  signal  of  separation. 

We  shook  hands  in  silence. 

"  See,"  he  said,  "  the  smoke  of  your  people's  fires  far 
below ;  there  is  your  road,  and  here  is  mine  " — he  pointed  to 
the  mountain  trail  "  I  could  not  go  with  you,  I  would  have 
to  begin  life  again  ; — I  am  too  old  to  change  now.  There 
is  no  one  to  come  after  me.  The  Sioux  are  nearly  all  gone, 
the  Buffalo  are  fast  going ;  but  the  wilderness  will  last  long 
enough  for  me." 

"And  is  there  nothing  then  that  I  can  do  for  you?"  I 
said.  "  You  have  done  everything  for  me  :  let  me  do  some- 
thing in  return." 

"  Well,  my  friend,"  he  replied,  "  sometimes  think  of  me. 
"When  I  am  camped  at  night  far  out  on  the  great  prairie, 
I  would  like  to  say  to  myself,  my  white  brother  remembers 
me.     That  is  all." 

Then  he  turned  off  to  the  north,  leading  his  horse  by  the 
bridle  up  the  mountain  path.  I  stood  watching  him  as 
step  by  step  the  void  of  space  grew  wider  between  us. 
How  lonely  it  all  seemed,  this  solitary  man  turning  off 
into  the  mountains  to  go  back  from  the  shore  of  civilization 


/  see  Red  Cloud  no  more. 


327 


into  the  great  prairie  sea  !  As  thus  I  watched  his  slowly 
receding  figure,  memory  was  travelling  back  over  the  long 
trail  of  our  companionship — back  through  all  the  varied 
scenes  of  strife,  and  chase,  and  travel,  to  that  distant  day 
when  first  on  the  shore  of  the  wilderness  our  lives  came 
together.  "  Think  of  you  !  "  I  said,  speaking  half  aloud  my 
thoughts.  "Yes,  that  I  will.  Whenever  the  wind  stirs  the 
tree-branch,  or  rustles  the  reeds  and  meadows— wherever  the 
sun  goes  down  over  distance  of  sea  or  land — in  the  moon- 
light of  nights,  in  the  snow  of  long  winters,  you  will  be 
near  me  still." 

At  a  bend  in  the  trail  he  turned  to  look  back  :  it  was 
but  a  moment,  and  then  the  mountain  path  was  vacant, 
and  I  saw  him  no  more. 


THE  END. 


/  3  iA  2-^^/5/6, 


•3iA2^<^r/^/6> 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 
LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

RKC-^  rJJ   ijUN  0  5  2005 


SEP  IS  1950 


FEB  25  19637  2 


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